County commissioner spends night in jail

Athens County Commissioner Mark Sullivan was arrested in Nelsonville Saturday night for allegedly being drunk and disorderly in a bar, and a minor drug abuse charge was added after officers at the regional jail found two prescription drug tablets in his pocket.

Sullivan, 51, of Millfield, spent about seven hours in jail after the arrest, though Nelsonville Police Chief Jason Wallace said officers had attempted to get a ride home for him.

"They tried calling some people to come and take him to his residence, and all those contacted refused to come and get him," Wallace recounted.

Wallace said his department responded to a call from the Mine Tavern on Nelsonville's Public Square that Sullivan was causing trouble, and when asked by officers, Sullivan agreed to leave the premises.

However, the chief said, the commissioner then returned to the bar later in the night, and when police were called again, they arrested him. Based on a police incident report, the arrest appears to have taken place shortly before 11 p.m.

"They were called to the Mine Tavern in Nelsonville pursuant to a subject causing problems," Wallace said. "He'd been asked to leave earlier, and (the bar) wanted him removed."

When Sullivan was taken to the jail for a six-hour hold to sober up, Wallace said, corrections officers found two Clonazepam tablets, a prescription tranquilizer in his pocket.

Though Clonazepam is not generally thought of as a major drug of abuse, Wallace said "it might be an enhancer," i.e., used to intensify the effects of other drugs including alcohol.

Sullivan on Monday took responsibility for his actions. "I was in the wrong, definitely," he admitted. He said he and others had gone to see singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked at Stuart's Opera House, and then to the Mine for drinks.

"We were doing tequila shots, and I haven't had hard liquor like that in, probably 20 years," Sullivan said. "I just had too many." He said the prescription drugs he had with him "were not illegal. They were prescribed for me," for stress. He added that he normally takes them every day, but did not take any Saturday because they are not supposed to be taken with alcohol.

Asked about returning to the bar after being ejected, Sullivan admitted that he doesn't remember all the events of the evening very well, but said the bar personnel could have simply asked him to leave again and he would have done so. Instead, police showed up and arrested him.

But in any case, Sullivan said, the arrest was his fault. He praised the Nelsonville Police and jail officers for their professionalism, and added, "Unfortunately, I've got first-hand experience that we've got a top-notch jail, too."

Sullivan said he has a court date of Oct. 7, and suggested he plans to plead guilty to the disorderly conduct charge.

Sullivan's fellow Democratic commissioner, Lenny Eliason, suggested Monday that Sullivan may have been under significant strain.

"Mark's had a lot to deal with in his life, with the loss of his wife and his father and being a single father," Eliason said. "And I hope he takes this opportunity to get his life straightened out."

Sullivan was charged with disorderly conduct, a minor misdemeanor, and drug abuse, a third-degree misdemeanor. He was released from jail shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the jail website.

Sullivan, who has been in office since 1999, is not up for election this fall.