335.072 DRIVING UNDER FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LAW SUSPENSION OR CANCELLATION; DRIVING UNDER A NONPAYMENT OF JUDGMENT SUSPENSION.

   (a)   No person, whose driver’s or commercial driver’s license or temporary instruction permit or nonresident’s operating privilege has been suspended or canceled pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 4509, shall operate any motor vehicle within this Municipality, or knowingly permit any motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated by another person in the Municipality, during the period of the suspension or cancellation, except as specifically authorized by Ohio R.C. Chapter 4509. No person shall operate a motor vehicle within this Municipality, or knowingly permit any motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated by another person in the Municipality, during the period in which the person is required by Ohio R.C. 4509.45 to file and maintain proof of financial responsibility for a violation of Ohio R.C. 4509.101, unless proof of financial responsibility is maintained with respect to that vehicle.

   (b)   No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon a highway or any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking in this Municipality if the person’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or temporary instruction permit or nonresident operating privilege has been suspended pursuant to Ohio R.C. 4509.37 or 4509.40 for nonpayment of a judgment.

   (c)   Upon the request or motion of the prosecuting authority, a noncertified copy of the law enforcement automated data system report or a noncertified copy of a record of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles that shows the name, date of birth and social security number of a person charged with a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section may be admitted into evidence as prima-facie evidence that the license of the person was under either a financial responsibility law suspension at the time of the alleged violation of subsection (a) of this section or a nonpayment of judgment suspension at the time of the alleged violation of subsection (b) of this section. The person charged with a violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section may offer evidence to rebut this prima-facie evidence.

   (d)   Whoever violates subsection (a) of this section is guilty of driving under financial responsibility law suspension or cancellation and shall be punished as provided in subsection (d) hereof. Whoever violates subsection (b) of this section is guilty of driving under a nonpayment of judgment suspension and shall be punished as provided in subsection (d) hereof.

      (1)   Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d)(2) of this section, the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor. When the offense is an unclassified misdemeanor, the offender shall be sentenced pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.21 to 2929.28, except that the offender shall not be sentenced to a jail term; the offender shall not be sentenced to a community residential sanction pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.26; notwithstanding division (A)(2)(a) of Ohio R.C. 2929.28, the offender may be fined up to one thousand dollars ($1,000); and, notwithstanding division (A)(3) of Ohio R.C. 2929.27, the offender may be ordered pursuant to division (C) of that section to serve a term of community service of up to five hundred hours. The failure of an offender to complete a term of community service imposed by the court may be punished as indirect criminal contempt under division (A) of Ohio R.C. 2705.02 that may be filed in the underlying case.

      (2)    If, within three years of the offense, the offender previously was convicted of or pleaded guilty to two or more violations of Ohio R.C. 4510.16, or any combination of two violations of Ohio R.C. 4510.16 or Ohio R.C. 4510.11 or 4510.111, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, the offense is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

      (3)   The offender shall provide the court with proof of financial responsibility as defined in Ohio R.C. 4509.01. If the offender fails to provide that proof of financial responsibility, then in addition to any other penalties provided by law, the court may order restitution pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2929.28 in an amount not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000) for any economic loss arising from an accident or collision that was the direct and proximate result of the offender’s operation of the vehicle before, during or after committing the offense for which the offender is sentenced under this section.

         (ORC 4510.16)

   (e)   No person who has knowingly failed to maintain proof of financial responsibility in accordance with Ohio R.C. 4509.101 shall produce any document or present to a peace officer an electronic wireless communications device that is displaying any text or images with the purpose to mislead a peace officer upon the request of a peace officer for proof of financial responsibility made in accordance with Ohio R.C. 4509.101. Whoever violates this subsection (e) hereof is guilty of falsification, a misdemeanor of the first degree. (ORC 4509.102)

   (f)   It is an affirmative defense to any prosecution brought under this section that the alleged offender drove under suspension, without a valid permit or driver’s or commercial driver’s license, or in violation of a restriction because of a substantial emergency, and because no other person was reasonably available to drive in response to the emergency.

(ORC 4510.04)