A Sonoma County judge who handed down the stiffest possible sentence in two recent high-profile drunken driving cases will remain on the bench following her arrest for reportedly driving under the influence, officials said today.
The investigation of the charge against Superior Court Judge Elaine Rushing, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving following a single-vehicle crash late Tuesday night, has been turned over to the state Attorney General because Rushing is a sitting judge well known among those in Sonoma County's relatively small criminal justice community, authorities said.
A California Highway Patrol officer arrested Rushing, 57, at about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after she reportedly ran off the road on Riebli Road in northern Santa Rosa, said Officer Christine Jacobs, CHP spokeswoman. No other vehicles were involved in the collision, and Rushing was not injured.
Details here from the San Francisco Chronicle.