COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Columbus police officer who was relieved of duty after a fatal hit-and-run accident Wednesday previously pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Officer Demetris A. Ortega was relieved of duty -- for the second time while employed with the Columbus Division of Police -- hours after a fatal accident on the North Side Wednesday where a woman was hit and killed before the vehicle sped off. The identity of the victim has yet to be released, and police have not disclosed whether Ortega was the driver.
The 116-page personnel file for Ortega, who was hired in July 2002, was released Friday and details several car crashes in which Ortega has been involved during his time at the Columbus Division of Police.
An August 2015 car crash led to an OVI charge against Ortega, prompting him to be relieved of duty -- but was eventually allowed to return to work.
Ortega pleaded guilty to the OVI charge in 2016. His 180-day jail sentence was suspended, and he spent a year on probation, according to court records.
Personnel records also reveal crashes involving Ortega in 2020 and 2021, but investigators determined he was not at fault.
The former police officer has not been charged in connection to Wednesday's deadly crash.
