Current:Home > StocksOklahoma judge arrested in Austin, Texas, accused of shooting parked cars, rear-ending another -Keystone Capital Education
Oklahoma judge arrested in Austin, Texas, accused of shooting parked cars, rear-ending another
View
Date:2025-04-18 22:00:09
A longtime Oklahoma judge won't be hearing any cases after being accused of a shooting spree and reckless driving in Austin, Texas, earlier this month.
Brian Lovell, an associate district judge in Garfield County, Oklahoma, was arrested in a Sept. 11 incident during which at least five vehicles were shot at, and he is accused of intentionally striking another vehicle at a red light and nearly pushing it into cross traffic with the SUV he was driving.
He faces a misdemeanor reckless driving charge in the arrest, according to an Austin police affidavit filed with the Austin City Municipal Court. And could face a felony indictment for deadly conduct in discharging a weapon once a grand jury hears the evidence, according to Travis County District Court documents.
Police stopped Lovell's vehicle on Sept. 11 about two miles away from a report of shots fired from about 90 minutes earlier. Lovell told police he had two handguns in his car, but "he did not know why he would have shot his gun and he could not recall any part of the shooting incident," according to the court documents.
Lovell told police the other driver cut him off in traffic and he rear-ended her vehicle, the documents say. He also recalled rear-ending (the other) vehicle a second time, but did not admit the collisions were intentional, police said.
Lovell, 58, could not be reached Thursday for comment by The Oklahoman, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. He declined to speak to a reporter with Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR who went to the judge's home Wednesday.
Fingers 'missing the flesh':Indiana baby suffers over 50 rat bites to face in squalid home
Videos showed accused judge's SUV rear-end car, according to affidavit
Police obtained spent shell casings – one from a struck vehicle – and observed video of the white SUV in the area where vehicles had been shot at, according to court documents. Police also obtained video evidence of Lovell's vehicle hitting the car at the red light, the documents say.
Lovell was jailed after the road rage and shooting incidents, then released on $10,000 bond and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. He faces a misdemeanor reckless driving charge and could face a felony indictment over the shooting incident once a grand jury hears evidence.
Lovell became an associate district judge in January after running for the position unopposed. He had been a special judge in Garfield County before that, since 2011.
Paul Woodward, the presiding administrative judge for the Garfield County district, said Lovell agreed to not preside over any cases until his own case is resolved. "He's been a good friend and colleague for years. It's hard for me to believe any of this."
Contributing: The Associated Press.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (829)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Charles Barkley and Gayle King were right to call out Nikki Haley over racism claim
- Federal judge grants injunction in Tennessee lawsuit against the NCAA which freezes NIL rules
- Ahead of South Carolina primary, Trump says he strongly supports IVF after Alabama court ruling
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Yale joins other top colleges in again requiring SAT scores, saying it will help poor applicants
- Killing of nursing student out for a run underscores fears of solo female athletes
- Cellphone data cited in court filing raises questions about testimony on Fani Willis relationship
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Audrii Cunningham died from 'homicidal violence with blunt head trauma,' records show
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Tired of diesel fumes, these moms are pushing for electric school buses
- Have we hit celebrity overload? Plus, Miyazaki's movie magic
- Trying to eat more protein to help build strength? Share your diet tips and recipes
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Barry Keoghan Praises Sabrina Carpenter After She Performs Duet With Taylor Swift
- A search warrant reveals additional details about a nonbinary teen’s death in Oklahoma
- Love Is Blind's Chelsea Reveals What She Said to Megan Fox After Controversial Comparison
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Bengals to use franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins
Marlo Hampton Exits the Real Housewives of Atlanta Before Season 16
T20 World Cup 2024: Tournament director says cricket matches will be 'very, very exciting'
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
At the Florida Man Games, tank-topped teams compete at evading police, wrestling over beer
How pop-up bookstore 18 August Ave helps NY families: 'Books are a necessity to learn and grow'
Vice Media to lay off hundreds of workers as digital media outlets implode