Crime & Safety
Dakota County Judge Posts Bond After Being Charged with Christmas Eve DWI
Police say Apple Valley resident Michael V. Sovis had a blood-alcohol level of .28—more than three times the legal limit, according to a report in the Pioneer Press.
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A Dakota County judge arrested for an alleged DWI on Christmas Eve was so intoxicated that he had trouble standing, according to a Pioneer Press report.
Michael Vann Sovis, 63, faces two gross misdemeanor counts of third-degree DWI following the arrest, which took place just before 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 in St. Paul.
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Sovis, who has served as a judge since 1988, allegedly crashed his Lexus sport-utility vehicle into several parked cars along St. Clair Avenue before driving into a snowbank on the side of the road, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Pioneer Press.
Sovis allegedly had difficulty completing field sobriety tests administered by police at the scene, and at one point needed the support of an officer to keep from falling. Sovis' blood-alcohol level registered at .28, more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to the report.
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Sovis, an Apple Valley resident, was booked into jail on Monday, but was released Tuesday morning after posting a $12,000 bail, according to the Pioneer Press.
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