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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).
An Iowa judge recently admitted guilt following an incident where she was caught driving in the wrong direction on a highway and appeared unconscious as she collided with a median.
Adria Kester, who serves as the chief judge for Iowa’s Second Judicial District, entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge for operating a vehicle under the influence—her first offense, according to court records. The local CBS affiliate, KCCI, reported that Kester will face a year of probation, a $1,250 fine, and must complete a 48-hour OWI program.
On the evening of November 4, concerned drivers dialed 911 after witnessing Kester’s 2026 GMC Canyon Denali moving slowly eastward in the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 30, near Boone, approximately 45 miles northwest of Des Moines. This information was detailed in a criminal complaint acquired by The Associated Press.
Eyewitnesses noted seeing 55-year-old Kester slumped over the steering wheel as she drove into the median, according to police reports. A bystander attempted to open the driver’s side door, but it was locked, prompting them to enter through a rear window to halt the vehicle’s movement.
Deputies from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene to find Kester in the driver’s seat, unconscious. They also discovered a container with a liquid that had an alcohol-like odor, as noted in the affidavit. Officers observed that Kester had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. When they helped her out of the vehicle, she was unable to walk unaided.
Due to Kester’s apparent level of intoxication, deputies deemed it unsafe to conduct standard field sobriety tests. She was transported to a hospital for medical attention, where staff conducted a blood test. The results of this test have not been disclosed to the public.
“Judge Kester recognizes the seriousness of the situation and is fully cooperating with law enforcement and the judicial process,” her attorney Matt Lindholm said in a statement to the AP. “She is committed to addressing this matter responsibly and in accordance with the law.”
Kester was appointed to the bench in 2017. She was previously a prosecutor, public defender and private defense attorney, according to her biography.
