An Iowa judge known for breaking barriers in the state’s legal community was arrested this week after motorists reported seeing her unconscious behind the wheel of a moving truck.
Adria Kester, 55, chief judge for Iowa’s Second Judicial District, was taken into custody Tuesday night after several drivers called 911 to report a pickup driving east in the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 30 near Boone, about 40 miles north of Des Moines. Witnesses told dispatchers they saw the driver “slumped over the steering wheel,” and one person even climbed through the truck’s rear window to stop the vehicle by shifting it into park.
When deputies arrived, they found Kester appearing heavily intoxicated, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. She was reportedly unsteady, unable to walk without assistance, and had “bloodshot watery eyes and slurred speech.” A deputy said he found an open cup containing liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol inside the vehicle. Because of her condition, officers determined it wasn’t safe to administer field sobriety tests.
Kester was transported to a local hospital, where authorities obtained a court-approved blood sample for testing. She was later arrested for first-offense operating while intoxicated and booked into the Boone County Jail early Wednesday morning. Court records show she was released a few hours later. Sheriff Andy Godzicki said the blood sample has been sent to the state crime lab for analysis and that he was “relieved no one was hurt.”
“This is a difficult situation for both the Kester family and our office,” Godzicki said, emphasizing that his deputies handled the case as they would any other.
Through her attorney, Matt Lindholm, Kester entered a not-guilty plea Wednesday afternoon. Lindholm, a well-known Iowa defense lawyer who frequently represents clients in OWI cases, said in a statement that Kester “recognizes the seriousness of the situation and is fully cooperating with law enforcement and the judicial process.”
A district associate judge recused herself from the case Wednesday, citing her professional relationship with Kester. Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen, who appointed Kester to her leadership post in 2022, reassigned the case to another judicial district and appointed Judge Gregory Brandt to preside.
Kester’s career has been marked by firsts. After earning degrees from Iowa State University and Drake University Law School, she worked as an assistant public defender before moving into private practice and later serving as Boone County attorney. She became the first woman to serve as a district associate judge in Iowa’s Second Judicial District in 2013 and again broke ground when she was named district court judge in 2017. As chief judge, she oversaw courts across 22 counties and led hundreds of staff members.
