A judge from Georgia has been detained after he reportedly drove while intoxicated and reversed his Mercedes-Benz into a pickup truck situated in the parking lot of a strip club in Florida.
Robert Guy Jr., a 48-year-old Superior Court Judge and head of Georgia’s Council of Superior Court Judges, allegedly collided his Mercedes-Benz with a Ford F-150 at the parking area of Wacko’s Gentlemen’s Club in Jacksonville.
Authorities say the incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Tuesday.
Witnesses told police that after the crash, Guy exited his car and briefly spoke with the truck driver before attempting to leave the scene.
The club’s parking valet also told deputies that the driver appeared ‘highly intoxicated’ and that he had to be guided back into a parking space.
Post-collision, a valet and a fellow patron guided him back into the strip club, where staff confiscated his keys and phone and monitored him closely until law enforcement arrived, as detailed in an arrest report viewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Superior Court Judge Robert Guy Jr. (depicted), 48, leads Georgia’s Council of Superior Court Judges, and purportedly backed into a Ford F-150 at the premises of Wacko’s Gentlemen’s Club in Jacksonville.
Authorities say the incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Tuesday in the parking lot of Wacko’s Gentlemen’s Club in Jacksonville (pictured)
The Ford F-150 driver informed officials that when attempting to swap insurance details, the judge rejected the offer, instead proposing $500 cash to privately ‘resolve the damages.’
When deputies confronted him, officers wrote that Guy smelled strongly of alcohol, slurred his speech, and appeared confused.
He repeatedly said he didn’t have his keys and told authorities he couldn’t remember whether he had been driving when the crash occurred.
Guy, who oversees the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, encompassing five counties, was taken into custody on site and faced charges of driving under the influence and DUI-property damage, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
He later refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, resulting in an additional charge, records show.
Guy was booked into the Jacksonville jail and released hours later after posting a $3,000 bond. The sheriff’s office declined to release his booking photo, citing his status as an active judge.
Guy has already self-reported his arrest to Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), which oversees judicial conduct in the state.
Guy – who presides over the five-county Brunswick Judicial Circuit – was arrested at the scene and charged with driving under the influence and DUI-property damage. Pictured: Judge Robert Guy Jr. at his swearing in ceremony in 2016
In his current role, Guy (pictured) represents Georgia’s judges during the state’s legislative sessions and serves on the Judicial Council of Georgia
JQC Director Courtney Veal has since confirmed that an investigation is underway.
‘It arose out of a minor fender-bender in the parking lot there, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to resolve the matter,’ Guy’s attorney, Lester Tate, said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tate added that Guy has retained a Florida lawyer to handle the criminal proceedings.
Guy, a native of Camden County near the Florida border, was first elected to the bench in 2016 and took office the following year, The Independent reported.
In his current role, he represents Georgia’s judges during the state’s legislative sessions and serves on the Judicial Council of Georgia.
