BREAKING NEWS: Appeals Court judge charged in DWI case
The Minnesota State Court of Appeals judge who was arrested last weekend on suspicion of drunk driving has been formally charged in the case.
Renee Lee Worke, 67, faces two counts of gross misdemeanor third-degree DWI. A first appearance date had not been set as of Thursday morning.
Additionally, Natalie Hudson, chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, has appointed Judge Adam Johnson, of the First Judicial District, to preside over the case.
The First District encompasses the counties of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley; Johnson is chambered out of Dakota County. He was appointed to the bench in 2023.
Steele County is in the Third Judicial District; Worke lives in Owatonna and practiced law in the district.
Johnson will “hear and determine any matters resulting from the investigation and any case opened,” Hudson wrote.
The case against Worke began about 9:15 p.m. Nov. 29, when a Steele County Sheriff’s Office deputy found a vehicle stuck in a snowbank on eastbound U.S. Highway 14 at the Interstate 35 overpass in Owatonna.
The vehicle was “presenting a road hazard,” the report says.
The driver, later identified as Worke, had glossy eyes and slurred speech, the deputy noted.
A second deputy arrived and spoke to Worke, who said she was coming from Waseca.
According to the criminal complaint, Worke said she had one glass of wine about two hours earlier; when asked how she was feeling, she told the deputy, “I’m totally fine.”
The second deputy also noted Worke’s bloodshot, glossy eyes, and detected alcohol on her breath, court documents say, as well as “slurred speech and slow motor function.”
Worke’s balance was unsteady, and she allegedly required assistance while walking back to the squad car.
The complaint says an initial field sobriety test showed signs “consistent with impairment,” and Worke was detained for further DWI investigation.
Due to inclement weather – the area was in a winter storm warning – Worke was taken to the Steele County Detention Center to complete the field sobriety tests, which she failed, court documents say.
She reportedly agreed to take a breath test, which the document says showed an alcohol concentration of .16. The legal limit to drive in Minnesota is .08.
Worke was released to a sober party in accordance with the SCSO detention policy.