AVON LAKE — An assistant Elyria fire chief was fined $1,000 and will have to take a two-day class on drinking and driving after pleading no contest to charges of physical control and reckless operation on Tuesday.

Ron Brlas was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and running a red light shortly before 1 a.m. Aug. 19 by a state trooper after he failed to come to a complete stop before turning right at a red light at Detroit and Gulf roads, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.

During the stop, the trooper noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Brlas. Brlas was arrested and was taken to the Sheffield Police Department, where he refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

Defense attorney Kenneth Lieux and Sheffield Prosecutor Chris Cook expressed satisfaction with the plea bargain in the case, which was accepted by Avon Lake Municipal Judge Darrel A. Bilancini.

“He wasn’t drunk,” Lieux said. “We looked at the case, talked to the officer and came to the conclusion it wasn’t the strongest case for an OVI — he had a couple beers hours earlier, and it was our position he wasn’t impaired to the point where he shouldn’t have been driving.”

Brlas, who is 50, only had one speeding ticket in his life, Lieux said.

Cook called the plea bargain “a fair and reasonable resolution,” saying Brlas will have four points on his license as a result of the conviction on the physical control charge, which is an alcohol-related offense. An OVI would have resulted in six points, he said.

Brlas also will lose his driver’s license for a year, although he was granted occupational driving privileges and also will be able to drive to medical appointments, Lieux said. While on duty, Brlas drives a command vehicle to and from accident and fire scenes, and he will be able to continue driving for work purposes.

Video of Ron Brlas’ traffic stop:

“It was a case that would have been a very difficult case to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to get an OVI conviction,” Cook said. “When I have a tough case like that, I’d rather negotiate it down and get an alcohol-related conviction, a one-year driver’s license suspension, a large fine, attendance at an alcohol class and four points on his license.”

If Brlas had been convicted of OVI, he would have had a six-month suspension of his license, Cook said.
Brlas’ conviction on the physical control charge means he was in physical control of his vehicle after drinking but it is not an admission he was impaired.

Cook said Brlas had a near-perfect driving record, which also played a part in the decision.

“In my opinion, that guy deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Cook said.

Brlas’ position with the fire department played no role in the plea bargain, he said.

“I couldn’t care less what he does for a living,” Cook said.

Brlas was unavailable for comment.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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