Mike DeWine's helicopter lands near Ohio State after vetoing absentee ballot bill

An Ohio State Highway Patrol H125 registered as N71HP flew from Ross County Airport (KRZT) to Ohio State University Airport (KOSU) on Friday morning, June 26, in a 52-minute hop that topped out at 2,425 feet. The aircraft, used for tactical and regional transport by the executive branch, made the short hop in under an hour.

If Mike DeWine was aboard, the timing would place him at OSU's doorstep the same week he signed several bills into law and vetoed two others, including House Bill 472 — requiring photo ID for absentee ballots — and House Bill 173, concerning submetered utilities, per reports from the Statehouse News Bureau and WJW. The governor had also publicly called on Ohio to abolish the death penalty earlier in the week, citing data that the punishment no longer serves as a deterrent, according to the Associated Press.

DeWine's aircraft pattern shows a prior-day arrival in the Columbus area from the Cleveland vicinity, consistent with his known travel between state events and signings. If the governor was on board, the destination suggests a return to base at John Glenn Columbus International, just east of OSU, the week after a flurry of legislative action.