Staff photo / Chris McBride
Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Ronald Rice stands at the podium with his attorney Robert Kokor during his preliminary hearing in Girard Municipal Court on Thursday addressing charges related to an OVI and a firearm in his vehicle.

Rice, 69, appeared before visiting Judge Mark Wiest from Wayne County in Girard Municipal Court, where he was sentenced to two years of probation.

As part of his plea, his driver’s license was suspended for one year, though he retains driving privileges for work and medical purposes. Rice is prohibited from owning, possessing or using firearms or ammunition for two years.

He received a 180-day jail sentence, with 177 days suspended, and opted to enroll in a driver intervention program to avoid jail time. Rice also agreed to forfeit the firearm in his possession at the time of the incident.

Prosecuting attorney Ursula P. Shugart handled the case. Rice, who was reelected to a six-year term in November, addressed the media at his request during the hearing.

“I have accepted full responsibility for my actions that brought me here today,” Rice said. “I respect and I would like to thank the trooper, prosecutor, the judge, the legal system and the court staff. I was treated no better, no worse than anyone else.”

Rice faced a fifth-degree felony weapons charge, which alleged he knowingly possessed a loaded handgun while driving under the influence, per Ohio Revised Code.

He also faced a first-degree misdemeanor OVI charge and a minor misdemeanor for failure to control a motor vehicle.

His attorney, Robert Kokor, previously filed a written not guilty plea to the misdemeanors and a motion to stay Rice’s administrative license suspension.

The crash occurred at 6:52 p.m., according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Warren post, which is investigating the incident.

Rice, of Brookfield, was driving a 2025 Mini Cooper south when he failed to negotiate a curve, veered off the road, struck two traffic signs and overturned in a ditch.

In a separate matter, Rice’s wife, Cynthia Westcott Rice, a fellow Common Pleas Court judge, filed for divorce in Trumbull County Domestic Relations Court, citing gross neglect of duty, extreme cruelty, adultery and incompatibility. A restraining order against Rice was granted.

Judges David Engler and Samuel Bluedorn recused themselves, and Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy assigned retired Lorain County Judge Debra L. Boros to the case.

Rice was first elected to the Common Pleas Court in 2012 after serving as a Trumbull County Eastern District Court judge from 1992 to 2012. He also teaches part-time at Youngstown State University and holds a private pilot license.