The director of the University of Akron’s School of Communication is behind bars after authorities said he showed up intoxicated this week at a probation meeting for a drunken-driving conviction.
Theodore Avtgis, 48, appeared to be drunk Monday when he arrived at a meeting with his probation officer in Ashland Municipal Court, according to court records.
When the probation officer asked Avtgis how he got to the meeting, he indicated that he drove, records show.
The officer called police to investigate. According to court records, Avtgis’ blood alcohol level was 0.164. The legal limit in Ohio is 0.08.
His initial charge of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol was Aug. 17, a month after he was hired by the University of Akron.
Avtgis was sentenced last year to 30 days in jail and placed on probation for a year after pleading no contest to the original charge. Twenty-seven of those days were suspended. He was ordered to take a driver’s intervention program, which was equivalent to the remaining three days in jail. He did complete the program so the remaining three days were removed from his sentence.
At that time, his driver’s license also was suspended for a year, but he had driving privileges to and from work, after he provided a letter from his employer and proof of insurance. His total fines and costs were $672.
This week, Avtgis was taken to court and charged with a second charge of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and failing a random drug and alcohol test, a probation violation.
On Tuesday, he pleaded no contest to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and probation violation. He was found guilty on both charges and his probation was terminated. His previous sentence was reimposed. So he was sentenced to 60 days in Ashland County Jail, but 40 days were suspended. His license also was suspended for two years.
The vehicle he drove to the meeting, a Ford truck, was impounded.
His fines and court costs are $747.
Avtgis, who resides in Ashland County, was hired by the University of Akron on July 1. Before coming to UA, he was a tenured professor at Ashland University, where he taught undergraduate classes in communication since 2011.
“The university has been made aware of the situation and is reviewing appropriate next steps,” UA spokesperson Wayne Hill said. “Effective immediately, his duties have been reassigned and Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean William Lyons has been named acting director of the School of Communication.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.
