BREAKING NEWS: APPEALS COURT JUDGE ARRESTED IN STEELE COUNTY

Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Renee Worke of Owatonna is facing legal trouble after being arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated over the Thanksgiving weekend in Steele County.

The Steele County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle stuck in a snow drift at U.S. Highway 14 and Interstate 35 around 9 p.m. Saturday. A short time later, a deputy arrested Worke for suspected DWI and transported her to the Steele County Detention Center in Owatonna where she was booked and later released.

As of Monday, Worke had not been charged. Steele County Attorney Robert Jarrett was out of the office Monday and unavailable for comment about potential charges.

According to Kyle Christopherson, communications specialist with the State Court Administrator's Office, Worke will not be placed on leave. "If the judge is charged," he wrote, "the case will move through the court system like any other."

Worke was appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2005, elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2012, 2018 and 2024. Her current term expires in January 2031. Prior to the high court, she served as a judge in Waseca County.

The Times will have more details when they become available.