A county official who was charged with felony driving while intoxicated after she was caught at a Platte City sobriety checkpoint in June has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Originally facing a felony charge as a persistent offender, Platte County director of human resources Mary Robinson pleaded guilty Dec. 17 to misdemeanor DWI and will receive two years of supervised probation.
Judge Rex Gabbert sentenced Robinson to 180 days of incarceration in the Platte County Detention Center but suspended the sentence to probation. Robinson must complete several substance abuse programs as a condition of probation. She must also wear an alcohol monitoring system for 120 days.
Robinson, who was represented by attorney Mark Ferguson, said she had no comment on the matter, and she remains employed as Platte County’s director of human resources.
After Robinson’s arrest in June, an investigation determined she had a history of DWI convictions in New York.
A county employee but not an elected official, Robinson is the wife of Platte County auditor Kevin Robinson. Because of this, the case was referred to the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office for prosecution, and after a hearing before judge Quint Shafer, the case was assigned to Gabbert, a Western District Court of Appeals judge.
According to a statement of probable cause, Robinson has a history of DWI dating back to 1988. In February 1988, she was convicted of her first offense in Dover Plains, N.Y. In 1999, she was convicted of the same in Colony Town, N.Y. In 2001, she was again convicted of DWI in East Greenbush, N.Y.
According to the June 27 incident report, Robinson — driving a 2001 Honda CRX — entered the checkpoint around 9:30 p.m. Deputy Katie Mendoza smelled alcohol, and when asked, Robinson said she had a few drinks before going to Maria’s Restaurant to pick up her car.
Based on the admission and other observations, Mendoza placed Robinson under arrest. She admitted to consuming “four rum and cokes” between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the Avalon in Weston before picking up her car.
Mendoza noted in the incident report that Robinson was cooperative and polite during the entire process.