Around 11:41 PM on April 21, 2024, Officers Nicholas Balli and Brad Lender with the Solon Police Department were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident with injuries in Cannon Road. They arrived on scene under a tunnel beneath a rail bridge, and noticed that there was a 2-car crash involving a 2008 Chevrolet Impala and 2023 Hyundai Tucson. Officer Balli first made contact with a male witness who informed him that the female driver of the Impala was likely impaired. He then made contact with the driver of the Impala, who was identified as Nikia Banks. As he was speaking with Nikia, Officer Balli detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Nikia claimed she was heading over to pick up her baby daddy from work, and claimed that the Hyundai struck her vehicle. She also admitted to consuming alcohol earlier that evening. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Nikia was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. Officer Balli started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Balli observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test, and she did not touch heel-to-toe on each step while failing to turn. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Nikia failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete. Based on the motor vehicle crash, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Officer Balli placed Nikia under arrest for Operating a Vehicle Impaired (OVI). A search of her vehicle incident to arrest yielded a bottle of Oxycodone pills that were prescribed to someone else. After she was placed under arrest, Nikia did answer a few questions. She told the officer that she had been at a concert at the Browns Stadium earlier that evening, and admitted to drinking 2 beers. She was transported to the Solon Police Department for further processing. At the station, the the BMV 2255 form was read to her, but she refused to submit breath samples. After Nikia was processed, she was turned over to jail staff and issued citations for OVI (4511.19), driving under a Non-Compliance Suspension (4510.16(A)), and Obedience to Traffic Control Devices (414.01(a)1)) . ------------------------------------------------ Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. This video is being shared for educational and news gathering purposes. Body worn camera footage is a matter of public record and can be shared freely. Sharing this video serves a compelling public interest because it is intended to illustrate the consequences of driving under the influence and discourage others doing so. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the Ohio Public Records Act (ORC 149.43). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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