WKYC meteorologist Hollie Strano pleads guilty to OVI charge after Thanksgiving crash
By: WKYC TV on-air meteorologist Hollie Strano pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of an OVI, a first-degree misdemeanor, after she crashed her car on Akron-Peninsula Road on Thanksgiving.
Cuyahoga Falls Mayor's Court Magistrate Alan Medvick ordered her to pay a fine of $375 and attend a six-day driver intervention program. Her license was also suspended for a year. She is eligible to apply for work-related driving privileges after Dec. 7.
Strano entered the empty courtroom at the end of the court session, after more than a dozen other defendants and their cases were dealt with.
Dressed in a black pantsuit, Strano stood at a podium before the magistrate, flanked by two attorneys who spoke on her behalf, asking Medvick to impose the mandatory minimum sentence for a first offense.
A report provided by the city said Cuyahoga Falls police were alerted to a possible intoxicated driver around 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 and found Strano driving a 2023 Cadillac XT5 SUV outside of the lane. The officer reported he began following her as she allegedly reached 70 mph in a 35 mph zone heading toward the Akron border.
A dashcam video the department released shows an officer following a vehicle, which goes left over the center line before gradually veering the opposite direction until it drives off the right side of the road and strikes a utility pole.
Police said Strano had a blood alcohol level of 0.244%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%. She declined medical treatment after the crash and was released to a third party, police said.
Strano has been with WKYC for more than 20 years.
She is a meteorologist and host on the WKYC Channel 3 News "GO" morning show from 4:30-7 a.m. on weekdays and the host of "It's About You" at noon on weekdays.
Strano has been candid with viewers in the past about her struggles with anxiety, and calls herself a "mental health advocate" on her Instagram profile.