VERO BEACH â€" St. Lucie County Judge Kathryn Nelson, 52, pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI and careless driving resulting in a one-car accident on the Merrill Barber Bridge on Oct. 25.
She is asking for a jury trial, court officials said Tuesday.
She didn't have to appear in court on Tuesday because she waived arraignment on the charges, said her defense attorney, Michael Kessler of Fort Pierce.
The Florida Supreme Court appointed Brevard County Judge Kelly McKibben to handle her case. Chief Judge Steven Levin of the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Indian River and St. Lucie counties, asked for an outside judge, citing the need to avoid a public perception of a conflict of interest.
State Attorney Bruce Colton cited similar concerns in asking Gov. Rick Scott's office to appoint an outside prosecutor. Nelson used to work for Colton. An assistant state attorney from Orlando is assigned to prosecute Nelson's DUI case.
Nelson refused to undergo testing for alcohol impairment, according to court records.
Kessler declined to comment on the case except to say his client is "looking forward to her day in court. Seeing how things look from the point of view of an accused person will probably make her an even better judge."
It was at about 5:50 p.m. Oct. 25 that a motorist called police, saying a car was weaving back and forth and struck a bridge guard rail near Indian River Boulevard in Vero Beach.
According to police reports, the driver â€" later identified as Nelson â€" refused to get out of the car and initially blamed the accident on using a cellphone.
Police said her breath smelled of alcohol and she appeared to have vomit on her skirt.
She said she was a judge in St. Lucie County and wouldn't do field sobriety exercises. Police eventually were "forced to physically pry both her hands off the steering wheel" to remove her from the car, according to a police report. "She continued to scream and pull away as she was restrained and put in handcuffs."
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