Suspect with 20th OVI still not found

NORWALK — A Sandusky man accused of felony OVI has a warrant for his arrest on the charge that has not been served for more than a year after the traffic stop. Spencer D. Blatnik, 76, of the 2000 block of Lima-Sandusky Road (U.S. 6), is facing a third-degree felony count of OVI. The charge arises out of a May 2, 2025, traffic stop in Norwalk. The charge is his 20th lifetime OVI, according to Norwalk police. Attempts have been made to find and serve Blatnik with his warrant, according to Norwalk police Chief Scott Dahlgren. "We have been unsuccessful at this time," Dahlgren said. Blatnik was originally charged with misdemeanor OVI. After officers ran a criminal conviction history and found a previous felony OVI conviction, his charge was refiled with the court and the charge was processed into a warrant. Background Just before 1 a.m., on May 2, 2025, a Norwalk police officer was northbound on Whittlesey Avenue (U.S. 250), according to a Norwalk police report. He was driving behind a van that was driving slowly, then speeding up to the speed limit, then slowing down again. At one point, the van was going 20 mph under the 35 mph speed limit. The officer found Blatnik in the driver's seat, and a strong odor of alcoholic beverages was reportedly coming from him. Blatnik, however, said the smell was from a beer that was spilled in the van. After not performing well in field sobriety tests, Blatnik was taken to the police station, where he reportedly refused to provide a breath sample for alcohol testing. He was served with his paperwork and released to a sober person. Blatnik has 19 previous convictions for OVI, according to the report. The most recent was in 2012, and the oldest is from 1974. He had three OVIs in 1980 and two OVIs in 1984, 1988 and 2009. The 2012 conviction stems from a March 2011 traffic crash in which Blatnik rear-ended a vehicle on Old Railroad Road in Perkins Township while riding a motorcycle. He suffered injuries after being ejected and while not wearing a helmet.