Judge John Lipscombe, who presides over drunk driving cases, arrested for DWI

An Austin-area judge who routinely presides over drunk driving cases was arrested over the weekend for allegedly driving while intoxicated.

John Lipscombe, who was elected a Travis County judge in 2011, told deputies he ‘had a few drinks at home but not even to get dirty’ when they contacted him in the lobby of a North Austin hotel shortly after midnight. Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 7 Austin.

Deputies were called to the scene after witnesses said Lipscombe tried to back into a parking space which already contained a car.

Following an argument, the judge drove around the parking lot and parked in a handicapped space before entering the hotel.

John Lipscombe was elected a judge in Travis County in 2011. (Travis County Courts)

Lipscombe told deputies he was given two double doses of rum and coke while at home but refused a field sobriety test due to an ankle injury, according to the affidavit. .

Driving while intoxicated is a class B misdemeanor in Texas. Lipscombe had more than two dozen DWI cases on its docket as of Tuesday, according to Fox 7 Austin.

Lipscombe could not be reached for comment Monday evening.