PAWNEE COUNTY —Roy Gene Robinson, 46 of Great Bend, appeared in the Pawnee County District Court Tuesday morning for a combined jury trial regarding two separate felon complaints for incidents that occurred during the Summer of 2023, according to. Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett. The matters were scheduled for a three day trial.
The defendant was charged in one case with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, a severity level 8 nonperson felony, alleged to have occurred on or about August 1, 2023. In the second case he was charged with one count of Burglary of a Non-Dwelling, a severity level 7 nonperson felony, and two counts of misdemeanor Theft alleged to have occurred on or about July 10, 2023.
Prior to jury selections, the parties announced they had reached a plea agreement whereby Roy Robinson entered a plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. In exchange for the plea the State agreed to dismiss the Burglary case.
The defendant’s brother, Dale R. Robinson, 54, of Hutchinson, was also charged as a co-defendant in the Burglary case. Dale Robinson pleaded guilty to the charges on January 18, 2024, and was ordered to pay full restitution as a condition of probation.
Initially Roy Robison was not a suspect in the burglary/thefts as boot impressions found at the scenes matched Dale Robinson, but subsequent review of cellular telephone records by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department suggested Roy Robinson was present at the time of the alleged crimes.
In support of the firearm plea, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett advised the Court that had the matter proceeded to trial the evidence would have shown that on the morning of July 10, 2023, the Pawnee County Sheriff received a report of theft of agricultural diesel from an irrigation unit south of Larned.
Later that same morning the Sheriff received reports of multiple truck batteries being stolen from vehicles parked in a shed a few miles from the site of the fuel theft. Tire tracks at both crime scenes suggested a light duty pickup had been involved. A witness indicated they had seen Roy Robinson driving a similar style pickup in the area.
When the Sheriff’s department executed a search warrant at the Robinson rural Pawnee County residence, they discovered the missing batteries. They also witnessed several firearms and notified State Parole. At the time, Roy Robinson was on postrelease supervision as a result of a Pawnee County jury conviction for aggravated burglary.
He had been released from prison on or about August 8, 2022. The Kansas Department of Corrections conducted their own search of the Robinson residence on August 1, 2023, and discovered .22 caliber rifle under a mattress.
Robinson was arrested by Kansas Department of Corrections personnel at the scene on August 1, 2023, without incident. He posted a bond on March 23, 2024, and was released.
After accepting the defendant’s plea Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine the defendant’s criminal history. Sentencing was scheduled for February 20, 2025.
Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines the defendant faces a sentence between 7 months and 23 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history. Based on the parties’ understanding of that criminal history, it is anticipated that Robinson will be subject to a presumptive prison sentence