By Edna Horton/managing editor
The board of trustees secretary received a lesser charge after pleading guilty to stealing two skirts from a Fort Worth store.
Robyn Medina Winnett was arrested on a charge of theft from Dillard’s in Ridgmar Mall last June. Store security saw Winnett leave the store with a brown skirt and a white skirt inside a Marshall’s bag.
Winnett said she is relieved that her case has come to a conclusion. She said now she wants to rebuild her reputation.
“I want to apologize for the embarrassment this has caused the college and more so my family,” she said.
Alan Levy, senior prosecutor for Tarrant County, said Winnett was facing a Class B misdemeanor charge with a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail.
He said Winnett was allowed to plead guilty to a Class C misdemeanor and will not spend any time in jail.
Levy said as a result of her charge, Winnett paid a $100 fine, completed a 60-day theft intervention program and paid for her own counseling. He said Winnett will have no criminal conviction on her record since she completed the program.
“Someone would have to go through this to know what it is like,” Winnett said of her experience. “I got a firsthand view of the injustice of the justice system and the undignified way you are treated whether you are guilty or not.”
Levy said Winnett had no previous criminal history.
“It is an unusual situation,” Levy said. “She did what needed to be done.”
Louise Appleman, president of the board of trustees, had no comment on Winnett’s case.
“Mrs. Winnett’s situation is a personal one and does not involve the TCC board,” she said.
Appleman said Texas law states trustees cannot remove members of the board based on a misdemeanor conviction.
Winnett said since re-election of her board position is a few years away, she is unsure if she will run again.
“I have spent my life serving people,” she said. “My goal is to find a job in social work. That’s where my heart is. That’s my passion.”