Rains County judge gets deferred adjudication for DUI

EMORY – Rains County Justice of the Peace Judge Robert Jenkins Franklin has been given 12 months of deferred adjudication, to avoid a verdict in his driving while intoxicated case.

Franklin was arrested on March 21, 2024 for driving while intoxicated. According to an affidavit for Franklin’s arrest, he was contacted by a Rains County Sheriff’s Office deputy investigating a report of a suspicious vehicle on the night of March 20. According to out news partner KETK, at 11:25 p.m. on March 20, Rains County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch contacted a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper to respond to County Road 2250, where Franklin’s vehicle was on the side of the road.

“Franklin stated that he had received some bad news earlier in the day and he was just sitting in his truck on CR-2250 approximately one mile from his residence. The strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was coming from his breath and when he would speak, he was slurring his words. I attempted to start the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Franklin quickly refused to do any testing,” the trooper said in a DPS probable cause affidavit.

Rains County Sheriff Michael Hopkins arrived at the scene and asked the DPS trooper to take possesion of the call, according to Jenkin’s arrest affidavit. Jenkins was then arrested by the trooper for driving while intoxicated.

On June 27, 2025, Franklin was placed on deferred adjudication in his DWI case. Deferred adjudication is a form of probation that means Visiting Judge Sam Griffith is forgoing a verdict in the case if Franklin can avoid being arrested for violating the conditions of his deferral for 12 months.

The conditions of Franklins deferred adjudication in the DWI case are not publicly available.

In May, Franklin was arrested in Van Zandt County for two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with a witness. His trial in that case is currently scheduled for Oct. 6, 2025.