Seneca County Commissioner Tyler Shuff accused of violating probation in drunk driving case

Shuff, 37, was elected to his first term as a county commissioner in 2020 after serving 12 years on Tiffin City Council. He has been ordered to appear at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 1:00 p.m. in Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court. The hearing will be held to determine if there is probable cause to believe Shuff violated the terms of his probation.

The alleged violation involves the ignition interlock system installed on Shuff’s vehicle, according to Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court records.

Shuff filed a request for unlimited driving privileges in November 2022 and agreed to have an ignition interlock system installed. An ignition interlock system is a handheld breathalyzer for car ignitions that’s installed to prevent users from being able to start their vehicle after drinking alcohol. The court granted Shuff’s request and the device was installed on his vehicle on Nov. 21, 2022.

According to court documents, Shuff committed a violation of the ignition interlock device on Jan. 10, 2023, when he allegedly attempted to operate his vehicle with a positive alcohol reading on the ignition interlock system, which prevented the vehicle from starting.

The probation officer for Shuff filed a motion to revoke his probation and impose his suspended jail sentence on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.

On Dec. 27, 2021, Shuff was driving a black 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck eastbound on Water Street when he was pulled over by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper for failure to use a turn signal, according to a police report.

During the traffic stop, the trooper suspected Shuff was intoxicated and administered a breathalyzer test. According to the police report, Shuff blew a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.228, which is nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. Shuff was then arrested and charged with OVI and a turn signal violation.

Shuff pleaded no contest on April 18, 2022. He was found guilty and sentenced to 90 days in jail with 84 days suspended, however, his sentence was stayed pending appeal. His appeal was rejected by the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals in November 2022.

TiffinOhio.net reached out to Shuff’s attorney, Dean Henry, for comment but did not receive a response.