‘Painful to watch;’ Video shows former local leader allegedly intoxicated in public
Yellow Spring’s Village Council voted out their president Monday.
Newly obtained body camera shows one of the reasons why council members said they wanted him out.
On Aug. 24 police were called when someone saw now-former Village President Brian Housh wandering around his parked car.
“I would stay out of the vehicle so you don’t go to jail,” an officer tells Housh in the body camera footage.
He also noted the car was not parked correctly.
“Why are we out here facing the wrong direction?” the officer asked.
“You’re intox and you’re out in public and I don’t want to arrest you so you need to call somebody,” he added.
The officer repeatedly asks Housh repeatedly to call someone.
“I’m not going to babysit you, here go to your contact list or you’re going to jail,” the officer said.
Housh stumbles when the officer tells him to have a seat.
The officer asks Housh 16 times to sit down.
“I know you were probably driving this car, the fact that it’s parked here facing the wrong direction you were driving this car right?” the officer asks Housh.
The officer ends up calling a former village manager Josué Salmerón to get Housh.
“I’m led to believe he was operating the vehicle at some point but I can’t prove that,” the officer said.
From there Housh drives away with Salmerón.
Kevin Stokes, who was selected as the new president Monday night, shared his thoughts on the video.
“It was painful to watch,” Stokes said.
Seeing his friend and colleague Housh stumbling as police accuse him of being intoxicated.
“My heart went out to him and I wanted to do something to help,” Stokes said.
But this isn’t the first time Housh has been accused of being intoxicated in public.
“There have been a series of instances over the last few weeks where folks have expressed concerns,” Stokes said.
These concerns led the council members to make Monday’s decision.
After the council called to remove Housh he read a statement, which said in part:
“I take medication for a physical condition. On some occasions, I seem out of it or intoxicated. On August 24 I can confirm I had two drinks over a two-and-a-half-hour period, I was not intoxicated. I am not public enemy number one or a menace to society.”
News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott stopped by Housh’s home in an attempt to talk to him, but he declined to speak.
Stokes said he is now focused on his new role and hopes to move forward.
“Housing infrastructure municipal broadband and economic development those are the things we are going to be focusing on,” he said.
Housh will remain on the council, but no longer as president, until 2025.
