Public warning for District judge’s DWI charge

UPSHUR COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK, District Judge Jerald Dean Fowler II has received a public warning by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for his DWI charge from 2022. Back on Sept. 9, 2022, Fowler was involved in a crash and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Fowler pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2023 and was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication probation. According to documents, Fowler admitted that he “drank a great deal” of alcohol along with taking two prescription sleep medications before operating his vehicle the night of the crash. The documents later state that Fowler also said he does “not recall” the accident taking place and only has “vague recollections” of the events that occurred after it.

Fowler indicated to the court that his insurance company reportedly settled with the people injured in the crash for $200,000. Documents show that Fowler told the Commission that neither drinking or the consumption of his medications have ever affected his “performance of judicial duties” and has taken the steps to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct came to the conclusion to issue a public warning to Judge Fowler due to the fact he, “failed to comply with the law when, on September 9, 2022, he operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated which resulted in a car accident that caused damage to others.”