Acting judge’s OVI charge in Franklin reduced in plea agreement

A former Montgomery County judicial candidate has pleaded guilty to an amended charge of reckless operation and to another charge of marked lanes in Franklin.

Kate Bowling, 37, of Centerville, entered guilty pleas Oct. 18 to an amended charge of reckless operation and a charge of driving in marked lanes in continuous traffic in Franklin Municipal Court. Both are minor misdemeanors.

She was arraigned March 19 and entered not guilty pleas to the marked lanes charge and a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence-refusal, a first-degree misdemeanor. At that time, the court granted her a stay on an automatic license suspension for refusing to be tested for blood-alcohol content.

The Dayton-area attorney, who serves as an acting judge in Kettering Municipal Court, appeared for disposition in Franklin Municipal Court on Oct. 18 following five pre-trial conferences in which a plea agreement to a reduced charge was reached with prosecutors.

Bowling was fined $100 and court costs for the amended reckless operation charge and received four points on her driver’s license. The court also imposed the one-year Automatic License Suspension for refusing to be tested for blood-alcohol content at the time of her arrest. Bowling was fined $50 and costs for the marked lanes charge.

Also on Oct. 18, Bowling filed a civil petition to obtain driving privileges for work, which is pending.

In addition to her private law practice, Bowling has previously served as a visiting assistant professor in the finance department at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business in Oxford. In November 2018, Bowling was defeated for an open seat on the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

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