Grand Island woman convicted of false reporting in car-pedestrian death case

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - A Grand Island woman will be sentenced in April for misdemeanor false reporting in connection with a car-pedestrian fatality in August 2021.

Michelle Robinson, 63, had originally been charged with felony motor vehicle homicide, misdemeanor driving under the influence and careless driving. The Hall County Attorney’s office later changed the motor vehicle homicide charge to false reporting. A spokesperson in the Hall County Attorney’s office said later analysis of the evidence showed it was insufficient to prove the more serious charges. Robinson pleaded no contest Tuesday to the false reporting charge and the DUI and careless driving charges were dropped.

The accident happened in August 2021. Antonio Nicholas Antonio, 45, was killed when he was struck by Robinson’s car near 7th and Eddy in Grand Island. A Grand Island police report indicated Robinson was using a prescription drug at the time and was not supposed to drive.

Robinson is scheduled for sentencing April 19. The max penalty for false reporting is one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.