Reserve judgment.
A Michigan judge was apprehended after he crashed his vehicle into a bus while allegedly driving under the influence. Bodycam footage revealed his inability to count backwards or recite the alphabet.
John Chmura, 63, a judge for three decades, reportedly had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he collided with a public SMART bus in March in Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detroit.
Chmura exited his car, identifying himself as a judge to the officers on the scene, as shown in newly released bodycam footage obtained by the Detroit News.
He admitted to coming from an event and when questioned about his alcohol consumption, he replied, “I don’t know. Evidently too much.”
Chmura did not pass two field sobriety tests.
During one test, he slurred his speech while attempting to count backwards from 87 to 78, overshooting 78 and then counting upwards again, according to the footage.
The judge was also tasked with reciting the alphabet from C to N. He began but stopped, asking the officer to repeat the instructions.
Chmura acknowledged that his performance was “not OK.”
Initially refusing a breathalyzer, he later agreed to the test, police stated.
The test indicated his blood alcohol content was 0.162%, more than double Michigan’s legal limit of 0.08%.
Subsequent blood testing showed his BAC exceeded 0.19%, as reported by C and G News.
Chmura was charged with driving under the influence, with a BAC of 0.17% or more.
After the crash on March 25, two bus passengers received treatment for minor injuries at the scene, according to officials.
Because Chmura handles cases from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, a prosecutor from St. Clair County has been appointed to the case, according to ClickonDetroit.
Chmura, elected unopposed to a six-year term in 2024, is expected to appear in court again in August. He has served as a judge in Michigan’s 37th District Court in Warren since 1996.
David Kramer, Chmura’s defense attorney, did not discuss the case’s specifics but stated that Chmura “is a very respected jurist with a fine reputation, and we’ll deal with this case as it comes.”
