BRIMFIELD, Ohio- A judge in Ohio found herself on the wrong side of the law after being arrested for drinking and driving, according to WJW.
The legal issues for Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge Rebecca “Becky” Doherty began Sunday night, when a Brimfield police officer responded to a 911 call about an SUV that drove into a ditch while getting onto I-76 during a snowstorm.
On the officer’s body camera video, he is heard asking the driver, "Ma'am you've got vomit down here in your door; have you been drinking?”
Judge Doherty responded, “Yes.” The officer then asked, “Where were you drinking at?” Judge Doherty responded, “Rico’s.”
The patrolman told the judge that he would be taking her back to the Brimfield Police Department because it’s unsafe to conduct field sobriety tests on the side of the snow-covered roadway.
Judge Doherty, who is a former prosecutor, became emotional when the officer placed her in the back seat of his cruiser.
Doherty was heard crying "are you kidding me?”
The officer responded, “Am I kidding about what?”
Doherty then exclaimed, “I am absolutely out of my mind with...”.
The officer told the judge, “You're intoxicated; you crashed your vehicle.” Judge Doherty responded, "I am so intoxicated.”
According to Brimfield police, Judge Doherty refused to take a breathalyzer test which, under Ohio law, could result in a one-year suspension of her driver’s license.
While on camera in the booking area of the police department, Doherty indicated that she would like to call Major Larry Limbert of the Portage County Sheriff's Office, and became agitated when the officer told her that her cell phone was still in the SUV.
Judge Doherty asked, "What's the deal?” The officer responded, “What's the deal with what?”
Doherty then said, “Give me my phone so I can make a phone call.”
The officer responded, “Okay, your phone is in a puddle of vomit in your car which is on the side of the road that you crashed into.”
After Becky Doherty was booked on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence, her daughter arranged to get the judge a ride home.
She is scheduled to be arraigned in Portage County Municipal Court in Kent on Friday.
Judge Doherty has not responded to a request by WJW for comment on her arrest.
