A decades-old traffic citation from Sharon Township has become an unexpected flashpoint in Ohio's governor's race, after court records showed Amy Acton was cited for two offenses on May 6, 1993, and the case was ultimately resolved as a minor misdemeanor rather than the more serious charge that first appeared on the ticket. The documents, which contain no reference to alcohol, have not stopped Republican officials and a conservative activist from questioning whether Acton should have disclosed the incident when she applied for her medical license the following year.
What the 1993 Citation Actually Says
According to court records reviewed by the Columbus Dispatch, Acton was stopped and cited for two separate offenses near State Route 161 and High Street in Sharon Township. One was a first-degree misdemeanor labeled driving under suspension, tied to her failure to prove she had valid vehicle insurance; the officer listed it on the ticket as an “FRA suspension,” a reference to Ohio's Financial Responsibility Act, which requires drivers to carry insurance. The second was a minor misdemeanor for an expired sticker on her license plate.
Two weeks later, on May 20, 1993, the case took a different turn. Acton pleaded guilty not to the suspension charge but to a lesser violation — driving with an expired driver's license, also a minor misdemeanor — while the expired-sticker charge was dismissed entirely. She paid a $20 fine and $27 in court fees.
A Disputed Detail and a Political Flashpoint
The episode has drawn scrutiny from Republican officials and activists.
The episode resurfaced publicly after conservative activist Laura Loomer raised it in a September 29 post on social media, in which she questioned whether Acton had been drunk at the time of the stop and argued Acton has an obligation to explain her record to Ohio voters. The court records examined by the Dispatch make no reference to alcohol, and Acton was not charged with any alcohol-related offense.
McColley Weighs In as Acton Defends Herself
Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, who is running as Vivek Ramaswamy's running mate in the governor's race, joined the criticism, accusing Acton of downplaying the incident. McColley and the activist have argued Acton should have disclosed the 1993 violation on her 1994 medical board application.
At issue is language in that 1994 application requiring disclosure of state-law violations “other than a minor traffic violation.” Whether the case qualified as a minor traffic violation is central to the dispute. Separately, Ohio's physician-licensing guidance from the State Medical Board of Ohio identifies driving under suspension among the serious traffic offenses that must be disclosed, and specifies that matters resolved with a no-contest plea must be disclosed as well.
At the time, she was reportedly eight months pregnant with her second child and about four months back from maternity leave following the birth of her first.
Ohio's financial responsibility law is codified at Section 4510.16 of the Ohio Revised Code, which states that a person who violates its provisions is guilty of driving under financial responsibility law suspension or cancellation and subject to the penalties specified in the statute. The case was resolved with a guilty plea to a lesser charge.
