Heisman winner Smith charged with DUI
Former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith was charged Friday night by Perry Township police with driving while intoxicated, according to the Franklin County sheriff’s office.
Smith was pulled over at a random DUI checkpoint on Riverside Drive, just north of Bethel Road, about 9:30 p.m. The checkpoint was run jointly by Perry Township police and the sheriff’s office as part of its DUI Task Force.
Franklin County Chief Deputy Jim Gilbert said authorities smelled a strong odor of marijuana in Smith’s vehicle. Smith, who was driving alone, failed a field sobriety test. Police recovered a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from Smith’s vehicle.
Smith, 33, who lives near Westerville, also was charged with driving with a suspended license and having drug paraphernalia. He was issued a summons to appear in court and was picked up by his girlfriend, Gilbert said.
Smith’s driver’s license had been suspended in April, after he was charged in a hit-skip incident in Blendon Township. At that time, he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of hit and run and was fined $300, according to records in Franklin County Municipal Court.
Smith also was charged with driving while intoxicated in 2016 in Westerville.
Smith played quarterback for Ohio State from 2003 through 2006 and won the Heisman in his senior year. He was chosen in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for three years. He also played one year in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.