A night of four-wheeling Wednesday night ended with Mahoning County Sheriff's deputies arresting boxer Kelly Pavlik.
He is now out of jail and facing several charges, including operating a vehicle while under the influence.
Mud tracks and a broken lamp post mark the spot where a neighbor said Pavlik crashed an ATV he was driving on Sugarbush Drive in Canfield. That neighbor called 911 around 10:30 Wednesday night.
"Upon talking to 911, the homeowners were able to identify Mr. Pavlik and Mr. Ferreri as the operators of the four-wheelers. They actually spoke to them briefly to make sure that they were OK," said Mahoning County Sheriff's Office Sgt. William Cappabianca.
The neighbor saw two ATVs on his property that night, one driven by Pavlik and the other by Pavlik's friend, Daniel Ferreri. The neighbor told police the drivers appeared to be intoxicated, noting their speech was slurred, they smelled of alcohol and were showing aggressive behavior.
"Yes, that's fair to say that the conversation between Mr. Pavlik was confrontational with the homeowners," Cappabianca said.
Pavlik and his friend left the scene. When investigators went to Pavlik's house they spotted a red ATV in the driveway covered in mud. Inside a garage, deputies saw a green ATV with front-end damage and the top of the lamp post on the passenger-side seat.
Pavlik's friend originally said he wrecked the ATV, but later said it was Pavlik. During the interview with the friend, deputies said Pavlik was being belligerent, swearing at them and telling them to get off his property.
"There were choice words, but we were able to work through that and Mr. Pavlik was placed under arrest," Cappabianca said.
Ferreri was charged with obstructing official business because he refused to write a statement for officers, citing his friendship and loyalty to Pavlik.
Deputies said the boxer was swaying from side to side and had slurred speech. Pavlik refused to take a field sobriety test.
He is out of jail on bond charged with OVI, failure to control, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Pavlik is set to be arraigned on Friday in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield. Ferreri is due in court Jan. 4.
"People will continue to act in a way which hurts them because that's the nature of the illness until they really really begin recovery," said Jerry Carter, an addiction counselor at Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic.
It's been almost a year since Pavlik left an alcohol treatment center in California. Carter said many addicts don't fully accept they have a problem until they hit "rock bottom." And that rock bottom is different for everyone.
"And unfortunately, I think sometimes celebrity and money and all kinds of things create this kind of protective shield," Carter said.
