Becky Doherty, a 55-year-old Common Pleas Judge in Portage County, Ohi, was arrested and charged with DUI after she crashed her vehicle on Saturday, February 9.
In a video released by the Brimfield Police Department on Wednesday, February 13, Doherty — who crashed her SUV into a ditch while merging onto the I-76 highway around 9:15 p.m. — can be seen admitting that she is “so” intoxicated.
Additionally, Doherty can be heard asking responding officers “do you know who I am?” and demands that police contact Portage County Sheriff’s Major Larry Limbert.
Despite admitting to being intoxicated, police said Doherty refused to take a Breathalyzer test or complete a field sobriety test.
Following her arrest, Doherty was taken to and booked at Brimfield Police Station. She was officially charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. Under Ohio state law, Doherty faces losing her license for a year for refusing to participate in a field sobriety test.
While being placed into the back seat of the responding officer’s police cruiser, Doherty can be heard saying “I am absolutely out of my mind” and “I am so intoxicated.”
Furthermore, when Judge Doherty asks to use her cellphone, one of the police officers replies by saying “your phone is in a puddle of vomit in your car which is on the side of the road that you crashed into.”
At this time of this writing, Doherty is scheduled to be arraigned in Portage County Municipal Court in Kent, Ohio, on Friday, February 15.
Judge Doherty has not responded to media requests for comment on her arrest.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com.