Koechner was pulled over near South Point

SOUTH POINT — David Koechner, a TV and movie star who was in the Tri-State for the Huntington Comic and Toy Convention and a “The Office”-themed trivia night at the Ro-Na in Ironton, was cited for drunk driving by an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer near South Point.

Koechner is best known for playing Todd Packer on “The Office” and sportscaster Champ Kind in the movies “Anchor Man” and “Anchor Man 2: The Legend Continues.”

According to summons issued to the actor, Koechner was traveling eastbound on U.S. 52 near South Point at 1:47 a.m. on June 4 when he was pulled over at mile post 19 in a white Toyota by an OSHP officer.

Koechner was cited for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drug of abuse, a first-degree misdemeanor, refusal to take a test with a prior OVI conviction in the last twenty years, a first-degree misdemeanor, and driving under a suspended license, a first-degree misdemeanor. The maximum penalty for a first-degree misdemeanor offense is six months in the county jail.

Koechner is scheduled to have a pretrial hearing in the Lawrence County Municipal Court at 10 a.m. on July 8. The actor has hired Jeffery L. Finley, a partner in the Gallipolis law firm, Finely and Eachus, to represent him in court.
From media reports, this is the second drunken driving arrest for Koechner in recent months.

He was arrested in Simi Valley, California, around 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, for suspicion of driving under the influence after crashing his car into a street sign and failing a breathalyzer test. On March 31, he was charged with DUI and hit-and-run. He could face up to a year on the two misdemeanor charges.