Judge cited for DUI faces additional charge

A Franklin County Domestic Relations/juvenile Court judge who was already facing a charge of driving under the influence is now facing a criminal charge of obstructing official business.

The second-degree misdemeanor charge was filed Monday in Fairfield County Municipal Court.

Hawkins, 54, had been stopped by Pickerington police around 8:40 p.m. on Jan. 31 after another driver reported he was following an erratic driver.

Hawkins failed several field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest, police said. Police obtained a search warrant for a sample of Hawkins’ blood to determine her bloodalcohol level after Hawkins refused to consent to a breath test.

The obstruction charge accuses Hawkins of purposefully preventing police from getting the blood sample, in compliance with the warrant.

Court filings said Hawkins had to be held down by a Pickerington police officer and four Ohiohealth security officers in an attempt to get a Hawkins blood sample from her arm.

“Ms. Hawkins continued to bend her arm to make it difficult to have her blood drawn” after being held down, the affidavit says.

Hawkins had already been charged with a marked lane violation and drunken driving, both misdemeanor traffic offenses.

Her attorney, Brad Koffel, said last week his client had suffered a serious concussion and other injuries and did not have a solid recollection of the night of Jan. 31.

Hawkins has been on the bench since her arrest. She was elected in November to a newly created Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court judge position and has been on the bench since early January.

Being charged with a misdemeanor does not require Hawkins to step down from the bench. If she were to be convicted, she could be investigated and disciplined by the Ohio Supreme Court, which has authority over elected judges.

Koffel said on Monday that he and his client had no comment on the new charge.

Hawkins is scheduled to appear in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Thursday.