Left: This booking photo provided by the Boone County Sheriff”s Office shows Adria Kester, chief judge of the state’s Second Judicial District, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the Boone County Jail in Boone, Iowa, after her arrest on a charge of operating while intoxicated (Boone County Sheriff’s Office via AP). Right: Kester’s judge portrait (Iowa Judicial Branch).
A judge from Iowa found herself in legal trouble after police caught her driving the wrong direction on a highway before crashing into a median. The incident led to her being charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to authorities.
Adria Kester, who serves as the chief judge of Iowa’s Second Judicial District, is facing a first-offense charge for driving under the influence, as indicated by court records. The episode unfolded when concerned drivers contacted 911 around 8 p.m. on November 4. They reported observing Kester’s 2026 GMC Canyon Denali traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 30 near Boone, approximately 45 miles northwest of Des Moines, as noted in the criminal complaint acquired by The Associated Press.
According to witnesses, the 55-year-old judge was seen slumped over the steering wheel as her vehicle drifted into the median, police reports state. An attempt by a passerby to open the driver’s door was unsuccessful, so the witness entered through a back window to bring the truck to a halt.
Officers from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office arrived to find Kester unconscious in the driver’s seat. They reportedly discovered a cup with a liquid that smelled of alcohol inside the vehicle, as mentioned in the affidavit. Police observed that Kester’s eyes were bloodshot and her speech was slurred. She was reportedly unable to stand when deputies helped her from the truck.
Officers determined that field sobriety tests were unsafe due to Kester’s apparent level of intoxication. She was transported to the hospital for evaluation, where medical staff obtained a blood sample for testing. The analysis results are still pending.
In a statement to the AP, Kester’s attorney, Matt Lindholm, conveyed that “Judge Kester acknowledges the gravity of the situation and is fully cooperating with both law enforcement and the judicial system. She is dedicated to handling this issue responsibly and legally.”
Kester was appointed to the bench in 2017. She was previously a prosecutor, public defender and private defense attorney, according to her biography.
