Left: Renee Lee Worke after her alleged drunk driving arrest (Steele County Jail). Right: Worke's portrait for the Minnesota Court of Appeals (Minnesota courts).
An appeals court judge from Minnesota finds herself on the other side of the law after she allegedly crashed into a snowbank while her blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit.
Renee Lee Worke, who was appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals two decades ago, stands accused of two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, court records say. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate KSTP and Fox affiliate KMSP, deputies with the Steele County Sheriff's Office responded shortly after 9 p.m. Nov. 29 to a crash on Highway 14 near the Interstate 35 overpass in Owatonna, which is about 65 miles south of Minneapolis.
When a deputy arrived on scene, he saw that she had glassy eyes and slurred speech, the affidavit reportedly said. She told cops she was coming from a friend's house where she had one glass of wine about two hours prior.
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"I'm totally fine," she allegedly told the deputy when asked how she was feeling.
In addition to her slurred speech and glassy eyes, cops allege she also had a "slow motor function" and was unsteady on her feet. She reportedly needed help walking back to the squad car. She did not suffer any injuries in the car accident.
Worke submitted to a breathalyzer and she blew a 0.16 — twice the legal limit of 0.08.
The judge was taken to the Steele County Jail where she has since bonded out.
According to the Minnesota Law Library, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Worke to the state Court of Appeals in the First Congressional District back in 2005. She was subsequently elected in 2012, 2018 and again last year. Her current term ends in 2031. Before her appellate appointment, she was a district judge for nearly a decade.
