ROANE COUNTY, Tenn. — UPDATE MARCH 2: Roane County General Sessions Court Judge Dennis W. Humphrey faces a new charge in connection with an Oct. 20 crash involving alcohol.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol on Feb. 24 charged Humphrey, 67, with DUI. That's in addition to tickets authorities wrote after the crash, citing him with having an open container and failing to use due care.
The DUI warrant offers new details about the Oct. 20 incident, noting at one point the judge declared at the scene, "I'm a pillar of the community and I f...... up."
The crash occurred on State Highway 58.
When Trooper Brady Burnum arrived, he said two Roane County deputies told him "Humphrey was definitely DUI."
Burnum saw Humphrey on a stretcher being tended to by emergency personnel.
"He was yelling things like, 'I love you guys' while being rolled to an ambulance for further treatment," the warrant states.
The judge was taken to Roane Medical Center and then released before the trooper could talk to him and conduct field sobriety testing, the warrant states.
"After several interviews with witnesses who had contact with Humphrey at the scene, I concluded through witness statements that Humphrey was intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle on the highway," the warrant states.
Witnesses told Burnum that Humphrey had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and was unsteady on his feet.
An open container of alcohol was found in his Corvette.
Witnesses also told the trooper that Humphrey yelled statements that included, "Don't make the mistake I made, I f...... up."
According to the Roane County Circuit Court Clerk's Office, Humphrey previously pleaded guilty to the two citations.
No court date has yet been set in the DUI case, according to the Clerk's Office.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Roane County General Sessions Court judge faces Tennessee Highway Patrol citations for failing to use due care and driving with an open container following a vehicle crash last week.
A trooper issued the citations following the incident the night of Oct. 20 on state Highway 58, records show.
Dennis W. Humphrey, 67, was driving a Chevrolet Corvette at the time, according to records.
He faces a Jan. 7 court date.
Roane County authorities have recused themselves.
The prosecutor for the 17th Judicial District will handle the case.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Roane County General Sessions Court judge likely will be charged after he was in a vehicle crash late Wednesday in Roane County, authorities said.
Judge Dennis W. Humphrey was involved in the crash on State Highway 58, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
He was taken to an area hospital to be checked for injuries, according to 17th Judicial District Attorney General Robert Carter, who has been assigned to look into the case.
Humphrey is expected to be charged, Carter told WBIR on Thursday.
The Roane County General Sessions Court Clerk's Office said Thursday they had not yet received any charging documents.
The prosecutor said Thursday he could provide little information because his office had only just been assigned the case. Typically, when people who work in the judicial system face charges, everyone within that same system recuses themselves and an outside prosecution team takes over.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol was the lead investigating agency. It provided limited details about the crash Thursday, and a spokeswoman referred questions about the incident to Carter.
The Roane County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene but deferred to the THP.
Carter, who is attending a statewide judicial conference in Chattanooga, said he was alerted Wednesday night about the case. Many judges and prosecutors were attending the conference this week from across Tennessee.
The prosecutor said his office was in the "very preliminary" stages of addressing the case. He said it was so early that he hadn't yet received the investigative file from the THP.
WBIR reached out to Humphrey's judicial office but did not hear back. 10News also sought comment from the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nashville on what could happen to Humphrey but did not hear back.
The 17th Judicial District includes Lincoln and Bedford counties, south of Murfreesboro.