Former clerk pleads guilty to reduced theft charge

BENTON, Mo. -- The former city court clerk for Chaffee, Mo., admitted to stealing from the city's municipal court and was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation.

In exchange for her guilty plea, the Scott County prosecuting attorney's office agreed to reduce Robin Dannenmueller's charge of felony stealing to misdemeanor stealing.

Dannenmueller, 35, of Chaffee, was accused of stealing from the city's municipal court $1,000 in bond money given to her in the capacity as city court clerk.

The missing money was discovered Jan. 12 when a man arrested in Chaffee on a Cape Girardeau warrant attempted to claim the bond money owed to him. Dannenmueller was questioned about the missing funds Jan. 16, replaced the money the next day, and resigned from her position on Jan. 20.

Following the plea Tuesday, Associate Circuit Judge Terry Brown sentenced Dannenmueller to two years of unsupervised release on a suspended imposition of sentence. If she completes the two years without having any other charges levied against her, the stealing offense would be removed from her criminal record, the judge said.

"In light of the offer, she thought it was best to get on with her life," Dannenmueller's attorney, Malcolm Montgomery, said of his client's guilty plea to the misdemeanor.

The charge reduction was based on input by the Chaffee City Council, according to Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd.

During a closed session April 24, the council decided to ask Boyd to pursue the misdemeanor charge for a guilty plea, council member Mike Jobe said.

"She made a mistake. Everybody can make a mistake. It's just owning up to it," he said.

Jobe said he was satisfied with the outcome of the case, adding people "just wanted to see something done."

Chaffee Mayor Bill Cannon could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

In addition to the probation, Dannenmueller was also required to pay court costs totaling $133.50.

With the original felony charge, she could have been imprisoned for seven years. On the reduced misdemeanor charge, she could have faced up to one year in the county jail, Boyd said.

Dannenmueller, who appeared in court accompanied by her father, former city council member Bob Sullivan, declined comment.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

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