BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — 11 Investigates has learned that an athletics trainer for Bowling Green State University has lost her job after being arrested for ramming a city police car while driving with at least two students and a blood-alcohol content of nearly three times the legal limit.
In body camera video obtained Friday afternoon, Bowling Green officers Kyle Wright and Amber Moomey can be seen investigating an incident at Clough and Enterprise streets at 2 a.m. on Dec. 2 when a loud bang is heard. A police report said a Honda CR-V driven by Olivia York struck the back of Moomey's patrol car and then drove over a city sidewalk before continuing down Clough Street.
Wright then jumped into his car and chased the vehicle until it stopped near Manville Avenue.
In the video, York quickly produced her registration and insurance but struggled to find her license in her purse. When Wright asked if she knew why he stopped her, York responded, "Yeah, I kind of clipped you and your partner's car." Wright replied, "Clipped? You smoked that car."
Asked if she had a lot to drink, York said, "Not too much," but later admitted to drinking two vodka and tonics.
There were four other people in the car with York, including at least two BGSU students.
The 25-year-old first came to BGSU in 2020 after getting her bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire. She then served as the athletics trainer for the volleyball and softball teams while working toward her master's degree. Most recently, she was a trainer for the track and cross country teams.
After struggling with three different field sobriety tests, York was handcuffed and taken to the police station. She was offered a breath test, which she agreed to take. The result was .212. Ohio's legal limit is .08.
She was charged with an OVI, a hit/skip violation and a charge for not providing proper space to an emergency vehicle. Because her test was higher than .17, she also was charged with a high OVI, which is a first-degree misdemeanor.
On Friday afternoon, university spokesperson Colleen Rerucha provided the following statement: “Olivia York is no longer an employee of Bowling Green State University. BGSU is unable to provide additional information at this time.”
Court records indicate York had an initial court appearance on Friday and is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Jan. 10.