A Newton Falls City council member who apologized to fellow council members and the community for her behavior after police arrested her, has been convicted of driving under the influence.

The guilty verdict was handed down Thursday after Third Ward Councilmember Tesa Spletzer pleaded no contest to the OVI charge in Newton Falls Municipal Court.

A traffic lane violation citation was dismissed.

Spletzer, 54, was fined $1,000.  All but three days of a 180-day jail sentence were suspended.

Instead of going to jail for those three days, Spletzer has been ordered to participate in Ohio’s Driver Intervention Program, which is an alternative to the mandatory three-day jail term for first-time OVI offenders.

Each Driver Intervention Program includes traffic safety education on alcohol and other drug abuse and addiction, and small group discussions.

The two- or three-day process of education and screening may also include a referral for complete alcohol and other drug assessment.

The judge also placed Spletzer on probation for one year.

Spletzer was arrested on the night of September 11 after Newton Falls police say she was driving a GMC Terrain on the wrong side of River Street.

The police report says Spletzer admitted that she had been drinking and agreed to undergo a field sobriety test.

Spletzer was handcuffed and charged with OVI after the officer said she failed the test.

After being placed in a police cruiser, the report states that Spletzer spit at the two officer’s feet two times, calling them “piece of sh-ts!”

Police say she demanded that the officer remove the cuffs before she was inside the police station, saying she was being targeted because she is a city council member

In a letter read by Mayor Ken Kline during a subsequent Newton Falls City council meeting, Spletzer expressed remorse for what happened during her arrest, adding that the police officers were polite, courteous, and patient.