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New Virginia judge found walking on bypass, arrested on suspicion of public intoxication

Crystal Graham
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A Northern Virginia judge who took the bench on July 1 was arrested early Saturday morning on charges of public intoxication.

The arrest of Charles F. Koehler Jr., a new Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge in Loudoun County, was announced by the Leesburg Police Department.

The incident occurred this morning at approximately 1:30 a.m., when officers responded to a report of an individual walking down the Leesburg Bypass near South King Street. After making contact with the individual, Koehler, he was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication.

Kohler was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. He was released on his own recognizance.

Koehler was sworn in as a Virginia 20th Circuit judge on Aug. 23 at the Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse in Leesburg, according to a report in the Loudoun Times.

In an interview before the swearing-in ceremony, Koehler told the Loudoun Times that he became a lawyer to “help people at their lowest point and set them in the right direction.”

He also said the job is stressful and hard, but usually worth it.

“I will never stop seeking to improve,” he said. “That’s what I want to bring to the bench.”

Koehler has been practicing as an attorney in Leesburg since 2006.

He was appointed to a six-year term in the 20th Circuit by the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.