Yes, your boyfriend could be sentenced to jail time for his violations of the Ohio laws he broke while driving with a suspended license, expired registration and without insurance. Since he seems to be a habitual offender or violator of the Ohio laws it is likely that the court will not go easy on him.

Driving with a suspended or revoked license in Ohio is considered a crime and can result in heavy fines and possible jail time.

Section 4510.11 of the Ohio Revised Codes is titled driving under suspension or in violation of license restriction. Here it states that no person whose driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit or nonresident operating privilege has been suspended...shall operate any motor vehicle upon the public roads and highways or upon any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking within this state during the period of suspension unless the person is granted limited driving privileges and is operating the vehicle in accordance with the terms of the limited driving privileges.

Subsection C (1) goes on to state that whoever violates this section is guilty of driving under suspension or in violation of a license restriction, a misdemeanor of the first degree. The court shall impose upon the offender a class seven suspension of the offender’s driver’s license, commercial driver’s license, temporary instruction permit, probationary license, or nonresident operating privilege from the range specified in division (A)(7) of section 4510.02 of the Revised Code.

For a class seven suspension, a definite period not to exceed one year is listed under ORS 4510.02. We also should note that a misdemeanor of the first degree in Ohio, which driving with a suspended license is listed as, has a maximum penalty of up to a $1,000.00 fine and/or six months in jail.

Ohio law also allows that in addition to other penalties imposed on the offender a vehicle registered in the offender’s name can be ordered immobilized, if it was involved in the offense, for thirty days in accordance with section 4503.233 of the Revised Code and the impoundment of that vehicle’s license plates for thirty days.

If this is the second or subsequent time a person has been found driving on a suspended license the penalties go up, such as the impoundment of the vehicle’s license plate for 60 days or even criminal forfeiture of the offender’s vehicle.

ORS 4503.11 discusses the requirement of car owner to register their vehicle. Here it sate that no person who is the owner or chauffeur of a motor vehicle operated or driven upon the public roads or highways shall fail to file annually the application for registration or to pay the tax therefore.

Subsection C goes on to say that whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. This type of misdemeanor in OH can come with not more than thirty days of jail time and a fine of up to $250.

In Ohio it is illegal to drive any motor vehicle without insurance or other financial responsibility (FR) proof. If you receive a traffic ticket indicating that proof of FR was not produced, you must submit proof to the traffic violations bureau along with payment of a fine and costs for the traffic citation. If instead you are required to appear in court you must submit proof of FR to the court.

Failure to provide proof of financial responsibility in OH will result in the following civil penalties by the Register of Motor Vehicles:

• Lose driving privileges for a minimum of 90 days and up to 2 years;
• License plates and vehicle registration suspension;
• License plate reinstatement fees of $125 for first violation;
• Require to file with the OH BMV a SR-22 or bond to continuously maintain proof of financial responsibility for a minimum of 3 years up to 5 years from the date of the suspension the driver's license;
• Vehicle immobilization and confiscation of plates for 30 to 60 days if the driver violates the suspension.

Your boyfriend may want to contact a lawyer to get professional legal advice on his situation. He can also contact the court listed on his citations to find out more about what to expect at his court date and what the penalties in total are that he may be facing.