Dakota County Judge Retires Six Months after St. Paul DUI

A Dakota County judge that ran into a series of parked cars while driving down St. Paul streets on Christmas Eve is going to retire.

Michael Vann Sovis, now 64, faced two gross misdemeanor counts of third-degree DWI following the arrest, which took place just before 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 in St. Paul.

Sovis pleaded guilty to third-degree driving under the influence back in May.

He announced his retirement earlier this week via an attorney.

Sovis, who has served as a judge since 1988, allegedly crashed his Lexus sport-utility vehicle into several parked cars along St. Clair Avenue before driving into a snowbank on the side of the road, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Pioneer Press.

Sovis allegedly had difficulty completing field sobriety tests administered by police at the scene, and at one point needed the support of an officer to keep from falling. Sovis' blood-alcohol level registered at .28, more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to the report.

Sovis, an Apple Valley resident, was booked into jail following his arrest, but was released a few days later after posting a $12,000 bail, according to the Pioneer Press.