“I am so intoxicated,” Doherty said as a police officer placed her in a squad car. Video shows her cursing at officers and even demanding a cup of water.
On February 10 Brimfield Police Department officers in Ohio responded to a report of a car off the road at the eastbound Interstate 76 on-ramp at Route 43.
Judge Doherty, 55, had been driving the car and was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. At 9:15 p.m. Judge Doherty drove a 2016 GMC Terrain SUV off an icy ramp and crashed into a ditch.
Once at the police station Judge Doherty refused to take a breathalyzer test or complete a field sobriety test.
Judge Doherty eventually plead guilty before her trial and her licence was suspended for one year, WKYC News reports. Part of her sentence also included three days in jail, a $375 fine, and a requirement to take a 72 hour class on driver intervention.
***Judge Becky Doherty***
Judge Doherty can only drive if it involves work, medical appointments or the Driver Intervention Program.
After the arraignment, Doherty read the following statement:
“Please accept my apologies and my regret for my conduct. I have felt so blessed to be in a position of trust. I regret that I violated that trust. I have dedicated my career to upholding the law and trying to make a positive difference in the world. Unfortunately, I am human. I have made a terrible error in judgement that I must accept both the responsibility and the punishment for. Today I plead guilty to the charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in Kent Municipal Court. As a judge I make decisions every day that I pray will be the most thoughtful and fair for all concerned. I am humbled by and will learn from this experience and am confident it will make me a better judge and resident of our community. Thank you.”
She was elected as a Common Pleas Court judge in 2015. She previously was chief of the criminal division of the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office from 2009 until she was elected to the bench. Doherty served as a solicitor for the village of Lakemore in Summit County, and was a criminal prosecutor from 1992 to 2008 in the violent crime unit of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.
