Rains County JP arrested for drunk driving

EMORY – The Texas Department of Public Safety said that Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested last Thursday for driving while intoxicated. According to our news partner KETK, on Wednesday night March 20, a Rains County Sheriff’s deputy was asked to check a suspicious vehicle that had its brake lights on and the driver sitting in it for an hour. The officer found the driver was the 44-year-old Franklin of Alba. The deputies report said that several open alcoholic beverage containers were in the truck. And, that Franklin had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

At this time, the deputy contacted Rains County Sheriff Michael Hopkins and a sergeant because of Franklin’s position as Justice of the Peace for Rains County. The sheriff then contacted DPS and requested a trooper to do sobriety tests on Franklin. When the trooper arrived, he found Franklin leaning on the end of his trunk and unsteady. The DPS report said Franklin slurred his words when speaking and smelled of alcohol on his breath. When the trooper started to do the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Franklin refused. Franklin was then placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated, while a judge contacted for a blood warrant. The Rains County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Franklin was bonded out of the Rains County Jail for $1,500.