The police chief in this tiny Warren County village asked to take a temporary leave of absence Tuesday after he was accused of being drunk behind the wheel of his parked pickup truck over the weekend.

Andrew Roosa, 37, was charged Sunday with being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated after Lebanon officers found him seated in his parked vehicle in front of a Lebanon apartment complex at 3:48 a.m.

Police were called to the apartments at 15 N. West St. after someone reported that people were outside fighting, Lebanon Assistant Police Chief Bob Hawley said.

"He advised officers at the scene that he had had too much to drink, but he was real cooperative," Hawley said of Roosa. No one was charged in the altercation.

However, Roosa refused a breathalyzer, making him subject to an automatic and immediate 15-day license suspension. Police released him on his own recognizance after he was booked on the charge, and a friend picked him up at the police station, his attorney Charles Rittgers said.

A state law passed last year allows police to charge people with a first-degree misdemeanor if they are in the driver's seat of a vehicle and have possession of the vehicle's ignition key.

It was unclear from the police report if the pickup was running or the keys were in the ignition. However, charges can be filed even if a person has the keys in a pocket.

"This is different than operating a vehicle while intoxicated," Rittgers said. "He wasn't driving. He's thankful that he wasn't driving. He understands police were just doing their job."

Roosa, a former Hamilton Township sergeant who was named Maineville's chief early in 2005 after village officials re-established a police department, could not be reached.

Village solicitor Kevin McDonough said he believed council would accept the chief's offer, but he was not sure Tuesday whether Roosa's absence would be paid or unpaid.

Rittgers appeared in Lebanon Municipal Court Monday and entered a plea of not guilty on Roosa's behalf. Judge Mark Bogen said Roosa can have his license back after the mandatory 15-day suspension, Rittgers said.

If he is convicted, Roosa faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, a jail term and license suspension are not mandatory, unlike Ohio's drunk driving penalties, Rittgers said.

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