Richard Roberts gets probation in DUI case; former ORU president pleaded guilty, serves no jail time
BY BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
5/02/12 at 8:00 AM
Richard Roberts received an 18-month probation, and no jail time, upon pleading guilty Tuesday to a Tulsa County misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Roberts, a former president of Oral Roberts University, waived his right to a trial.
He also pleaded guilty to a speeding count.
In accordance with a plea agreement that Roberts reached with the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office, Special Judge Sarah Smith made no finding of guilt and deferred sentencing until October 2013.
Roberts can get the case dismissed without a conviction if he successfully completes his probation.
Roberts, a Tulsa televangelist, was arrested Jan. 24 after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper clocked him going 93 mph in a 65-mph zone on the Creek Turnpike west of U.S. 169, an arrest report says.
His blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.11, which is beyond the 0.08 limit that constitutes a DUI. Roberts was unable to complete two field sobriety tests, according to the arrest report.
Roberts was required to pay $1,532 in fees, assessments and court costs. He has satisfied that obligation, a court official said Tuesday.
A document completed to support his guilty plea lists Roberts' address as being in Newport Beach, Calif.
Roberts was ordered to perform 56 hours of community service, which can be completed in California.
He is required to attend a drug and alcohol assessment, and follow the resulting recommendations. He also is required to attend a DUI school and a victims' impact panel, court records show.
Smith said this is a "standard resolution" for a first-time misdemeanor offender.
Regarding a factual basis to support that plea, Roberts indicated that "I drove a car while under the influence of alcohol" in Tulsa County.
He was released on bond after his Jan. 24 arrest.
Original Print Headline: Roberts receives probation for DUI
Bill Braun 918-581-8455
bill.braun@tulsaworld.com
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Richard Roberts: Under a plea agreement, the judge made no finding of guilt and deferred sentencing until October 2013
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