A Republican Ohio state lawmaker has been arrested on charges of driving under the influence and improper handling of a gun after officials say he was found passed out in his car at a McDonald's drive-thru window.

The Butler County Sheriff's Office says state Rep. Wes Retherford, 32, was taken into custody at 7.43am on Sunday after police responded to a report of a man slumped behind the wheel at a fast-food eatery in Liberty Township.

Responding deputies searched Retherford's vehicle and found a loaded handgun on a car seat.

Politician charged: Rep. Wes Retherford, 32, a Republican state lawmaker from Ohio, was arrested on drunken driving and weapons charges Sunday. Retherford is pictured in his mugshot on the left

Down for the count: Police say Retherford was found passed out behind the wheel of his car at the drive-thru window at this McDonald's in Liberty Township, Ohio (pictured)

The 32-year-old politician was booked into the county jail on charges of operating a vehicle while under the influence and felony improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

Retherford, who represents a district in southwestern Ohio and describes his political stance as 'very conservative', according to his official Facebook page, just began his third two-year term after defeating a challenger by more than 30 percentage points, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer.

His biography states that Retherford is a retired disabled US Marine Corp veteran who is married with two children, a son and daughter.

Besides representing the 51st District in the Ohio House of Representatives, Retherford also works as a mortician's assistant at a local funeral parlor.

Retherford, pictured above getting sworn in, has just begun his third two-year term after defeating a challenger by more than 30 percentage points

If convicted of the felony weapons charge, Retherford, pictured above at an event with Ohio Governor John Kasich, would not be allowed to continue serving as a state representative

Retherford, who lives in Hamilton, faces charges of OVI and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, the Dayton Daily News reports.

He was expected to appear in court for his arraignment on Monday. If convicted of the felony weapons charge, Retherford would not be allowed to continue serving as a state representative.

Retherford was arrested the morning after the Butler County GOP's Lincoln Day dinner at an event center in Fairfield.

Other lawmakers who attended the annual event told the Cincinnati Enquirer that their colleague did not seem inebriated at the celebration.

At the conclusion of the festivities, Retherford reportedly told several guests he planned to head to a bar in Liberty Township, according to the Hamilton Journal News.

The Butler County Republican Party released a statement to the Dayton Daily News, saying it is ‘disappointed’ to learn of Retherford's arrest.

Butler County Democrats also reacted to the Republican lawmaker’s arrest, lambasting Retherford as the ‘laziest and one of the most disengaged members of the state legislature.’

Family man: Retherford is a retired US Marine and a mortician's assistant who is married with two children (family photo)

‘Alcohol and guns are a reckless mix, and we’re glad nobody was physically hurt as a result of Rep. Retherford’s actions,’ Democratic Executive Committee Chair Jocelyn Bucaro said in a statement. ’We are extremely disappointed in Rep. Retherford’s actions and pray he takes this opportunity to get the help he so obviously needs.’

The Journal News reported that back in 2015, Retherford made headlines after Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger ordered the lawmaker to remove a liquor cabinet from his office.

Retherford claimed he had used the cabinet to store two unopened wine bottles, a sealed bottle of bourbon that he got for Christmas and bottles of water from his hometown of Hamilton.