US EditionIowa Chief Judge Faces OWI, Allegedly Found 'Slumped over the Steering Wheel'
Adria Kester, 55, charged with first offense OWI after witnesses intervened when she drove wrong way on U.S. Highway 30, was released and ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluation.
- On Tuesday, Adria Kester, chief judge of the state's Second Judicial District, was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated after a criminal complaint detailed the incident.
- Motorists called 911 after 8 p.m. Tuesday to report a truck driving eastbound in the westbound lanes on U.S. Highway 30 near Boone, while a witness climbed through the back window to put the truck in park.
- A deputy with the Boone County sheriff's office said Kester was heavily intoxicated, unable to walk without help, refused field sobriety answers after medical clearance, and officers sought a blood sample warrant at Boone County Hospital.
- One district associate judge recused herself Wednesday due to a professional relationship, prompting Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen to require a judge from another district be appointed, and a judge ordered release without bond plus a 30-day substance abuse evaluation.
- Her chief-judge role covers 22 counties and supervises hundreds of judges, while the seven-member Judicial Qualifications Commission can recommend actions to the Iowa Supreme Court.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Iowa Judge Charged With OWI After Witnesses Say She Drove Wrong Way on Highway
IOWA CITY, Iowa—An Iowa judge has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated after witnesses say she drove the wrong way on a highway Tuesday night while passed out behind the wheel. Adria Kester, chief judge of the state’s Second Judicial District, was released from the Boone County Jail on Wednesday morning, court records show. A criminal complaint said motorists called 911 after 8 p.m. on Tuesday night to report a truck slowly dr…
Iowa Chief Judge Accused of Driving Drunk
Iowa's top judge in the Second Judicial District, Adria Kester, is facing an operating while intoxicated charge. Witnesses said she was found unconscious in her truck, slowly moving the wrong way on Highway 30 near Boone, Iowa. According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, two 911 calls came in on...
The Independent
The Independent (US)Iowa judge charged with OWI after found unconscious driving wrong way
The judge was released from Boone County Jail on Wednesday morning, according to court records.
Iowa judge charged with OWI after witnesses say she drove wrong way on highway
Court documents indicate a witness had to climb in the back window of Kester's vehicle to put it in park and turn off the vehicle. Responding officers determined field sobriety tests would not be safe "due to [Kester] not being able to stand up on her own."
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