Now we know why attorney Lisa Wenzel Wells has not hosted her Saturday WLW-AM talk show for three weeks: She was charged with five counts of drug possession, and operating a vehicle under the influence, on Jan. 25 on I-75 north of Dayton.
Wells, 37, of West Chester Township, was arrested at 8:20 p.m. Monday Jan. 25 on I-75 near Piqua by Ohio State Highway Patrol officer Eric Dever, who was investigating a complaint of a vehicle driving recklessly, according to his report.
When Wells got out of her car, “several pills were observed in plain view on the car’s seat. The driver was subsequently arrested for OVI and prescription pills were located during a probable cause search,” Devers wrote.
The pills “weren’t prescribed to her,” explained Sgt. R. Reed of the OSP’s Piqua post.
Wells, who has criminal defense law offices in Covington and West Chester, was charged with four felony counts of drug possession; one misdemeanor count of drug possession; operating a vehicle while impaired; and failure to drive in marked lanes.
Wells could not be reached for comment. She has not responded to my emails in recent weeks asking why she was absent from her Saturday radio show.
Attorney Mike Allen has hosted 9-11 a.m. Saturdays on WLW-AM since Jan. 30. Last weekend he started calling it his show. When I asked him Saturday if he had permanently replaced Wells, Allen said: “I was told that it was mine until further notice. I’m not sure what happened to Lisa.”
After ignoring my emails for two weeks, WLW-AM program director Scott Reinhart issued this written statement about Wells on Wednesday afternoon: "Part-time on-air talent Lisa Wells has currently been off the air on personal leave since January. Currently, listeners can hear Mike Allen on Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. Obviously, we take any type of allegation against an employee seriously. We will be monitoring the situation, but cannot share any further details on employee personal matters for privacy reasons. We will have more information pending final outcome of the charges."
Wells’ WLW-AM bio and blog page says she contacted the station in early 2011 about “becoming a legal analyst. Over the next several months, Lisa came on-air as a guest for all of the talented full-time hosts.” She has regularly subbed for WLW-AM talk hosts in recent years, in addition to her two-hour Saturday show.
Her case is scheduled for a March 3 hearing before Miami County Municipal Court Judge Elizabeth Gutmann in Troy.
