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Michigan woman going back to prison after ninth OWI
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan woman is heading back to prison after taking a plea deal for her ninth drunk driving arrest.
show 56-year-old Karen Robert was sentenced to a minimum of three years and 10 months behind bars, with a maximum punishment of 7.5 years. She received credit for 155 days already served in jail.
Robert was arrested on Jan. 13 by Ottawa County deputies for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. She ultimately took a plea deal, pleading guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated in exchange for having a separate charge dropped.
Robert's first alcohol-related driving offense dates back to 2002, when she was arrested in Emmet County. In between jail and prison stints, she racked up four OWI charges between 2002 and 2008, all in northern Michigan.
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She moved to West Michigan sometime after that and was pulled over in Ottawa County in 2012 for her fifth OWI, resulting in nearly 16 months in prison.
Robert was caught again in 2014 and in 2017 and sent back to prison. Records from the show she was released on June 11, 2020, and arrested 38 days later in Muskegon for her eighth OWI charge. Robert was released from prison again last July.
Judge Jon Hulsing's sentence is above the typical legal guidelines. reported the judge said Robert's long history must play a role in her sentence.
'This is the range that is appropriate for this conduct because the court views you as a clear, present and continued danger to the public,' Hulsing reportedly said. 'The court shall impose the maximum sentence under this grid in order to protect the public.'
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