This judge was extraordinary.
A sitting Oklahoma judge who was already charged with multiple firearms felonies in Texas has been charged with firing shots into his brother-in-law’s home during a drive-by shooting in his home state, authorities said. .
Garfield County Associate Judge Brian Lovell, 59, last week charged him with discharging a firearm into a residence and using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a firearm in connection with a Feb. 12, 2023, shooting in Garfield County. He was charged with a new felony. Bison, Oklahoma Enid News & Eagle reported..
Two days after the alleged shooting outside the home of his brother-in-law Kenneth Marks, Lovell claimed the gun was stolen from his car, the Oklahoma attorney general’s office said. Gentner Drummond said in a press release. this week.
This wasn’t the first time Lovell had run afoul of firearms laws.
The controversial jurist also faces eight felony charges in Texas for allegedly using the same Glock 23.40 caliber gun in a similar incident in Austin on September 11 of last year.
In the incident, Lovell is accused of driving a white SUV near Matamoros Avenue and Santa Maria Avenue, during which time he “discharged a firearm approximately five times,” the Eagle said.
The bullets struck “several vehicles” in the area.
About an hour later, Lovell allegedly rear-ended another vehicle during a road rage incident, with the victim claiming he tried to push her car into oncoming traffic.
The judge was arraigned in the Austin case on February 29 and released on $10,000 bail, the newspaper reported.
In the new Oklahoma indictment, Lovell’s attorney, Stephen Jones, said prosecutors don’t have a case.
“As to the merits of the charges and defenses, we do not have the evidence at this time, but that will be made public in due course,” Jones said. “Based on our own investigation, there is insufficient evidence to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
“We intend to vigorously defend this case, and the judge and Mrs. Lovell have cooperated fully throughout the investigation,” he said.
