County judge gets charged with DWI
Posted on Friday, October 6, 2006
OZARK — Franklin County Judge Joe Powell was arrested early Sunday morning on a charge of driving while intoxicated. He was driving a countyowned vehicle when he was stopped, the Arkansas State Police reported.
Powell, 57, was cited for driving while intoxicated at 12: 45 a. m. Sunday at a state police sobriety checkpoint on U. S. 64 east of Ozark, Capt. Steve Coleman, Troop H commander, said Thursday.
Powell said he was returning from the annual Wiederkehr Wine Festival at Wiederkehr Village in Altus when he was stopped.
“I learned my lesson. I’m never doing that again,” he said.
He said he drove his county vehicle, a 2004 Ford F 250 pickup, to the festival because he was attending as county judge.
The ticket issued to Powell did not include his blood-alcohol level, and Powell declined to comment further on his arrest. In Arkansas, a person is considered intoxicated if his blood alcohol level is 0. 08 percent or higher.
Chief Deputy Sheriff James Hamilton said jail records showed Powell was booked at 12: 45 a. m. He was released to an unnamed responsible party at 1: 15 a. m. Hamilton said releasing people arrested for DWI to a responsible party is common practice in Franklin County.
Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons provided few details about Powell’s arrest, saying the case remains under investigation. Powell is scheduled to appear Nov. 20 in Ozark District Court.
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