Police video shows judge stumbling before arrest

Newly released dash camera footage shows Franklin County Domestic Relations/ Juvenile Court Judge Monica Hawkins stumbling before later failing a field sobriety test and being arrested for driving under the influence.

Hawkins returned to the bench on Monday but did not comment on criminal charges that she drove while intoxicated and had to be held down for a blood sample to be taken. Her attorney, Brad Koffel, said he would not comment until all the evidence is available.

Hawkins’ vehicle was stopped about 8:40 p.m. on Thursday by Pickerington police near Refugee Road and Route 256 after a person had called 911 to report an erratic driver.

The 911 caller told dispatchers he was driving behind a vehicle with his hazard lights on and had nearly been struck by the vehicle several times.

“She’s all over the place,” the caller said. “Come on, lady, geez.”

Pickerington police Officer Mercedes Gavins drove to the area and reported seeing a vehicle, later identified as being driven by Hawkins, making abrupt stops while driving and nearly striking a curb.

According to Gavins’ report, Hawkins had what appeared to be a bruise forming on the right side of her face.

A marking of some kind is visible on Hawkins’ forehead in dash camera video obtained by The Dispatch through a public records request.

Hawkins gave Gavins her driver’s license and told her she was a Franklin County judge. Hawkins then gave Gavins her health insurance card instead of her car insurance.

The video shows Gavins returning to her cruiser to check Hawkins’ driver’s license. When she and Sgt. Chad Wallace, who joined Gavins at the traffic stop, returned to Hawkins’ vehicle, Hawkins handed Wallace her cellphone.

Hawkins told Wallace that her bailiff was on the phone, saying she had called her bailiff to have her tell the officers the bump on her head was “nothing” and she was all right.

Gavins asked Hawkins some standard questions, according to the report, including what day it was. Hawkins answered correctly that it was Thursday, but said it was the 17th before correcting herself to say it was the 31st.

During field sobriety tests, Hawkins had trouble maintaining her balance and did not complete several of the tests as instructed. One test required Hawkins to count backward from 47 to 27. Hawkins

“She didn’t stop where she was instructed to do so,” Gavins wrote in her report. “At the end of her counting, she began to recite numbers out of order.”

Hawkins stumbled when she got out of her car and again when asked to move from a seated position in front of Gavins’ cruiser to conduct another field sobriety test. She was then instructed to walk heel-to-toe for nine steps.

The video shows Hawkins stopping at nine steps, asking if she should turn around, and then continuing two more steps after being told to turn around. The video also shows she had difficulty standing up and nearly fell over multiple times.

Video from the Pickerington jail shows Hawkins refusing to consent to a breathalyzer test and refusing to sign a form acknowledging that she had been read her rights. When given the option of a breath sample or officers obtaining a warrant for a blood sample, Hawkins again refused the breath test, so a search warrant was obtained for her blood.

While at a hospital to have the blood drawn, Hawkins refused to comply and Ohiohealth security had to hold her down to get the sample, according to the report.

Hawkins was released to a family member around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

The results of the blood test likely won’t be available for several days.

Hawkins is scheduled for her first appearance in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Feb. 14.

The Franklin County Republican Party has called for Hawkins, a Democrat, to “do the right thing and resign her judgeship immediately” if she is convicted.