Judge who lost bond money suspended, an official says. How will she be disciplined?

A Mecklenburg County magistrate has been suspended for ditching required classes, losing bond money and failing to demonstrate a “minimum level of competence” during her first year as a magistrate, court documents allege.

Robin Sabio will not preside over any more cases while on paid suspension, WSOC-TV, The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, first reported .

Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch charged Sabio with losing more than $2,000 dollars in bond cash owed to Cabarrus County for more than a month. Sabio later “located the cash in her laptop bag,” according to a March 8 complaint filed in the Mecklenburg County Superior Court. She did not provide proper receipts along with it, according to the complaint.

Sabio, who was sworn in in August, also fell six and a half credit hours short on a civil course required for magistrates and never attended the criminal course, Trosch alleged in the complaint. Documents show Trosch filed complaints soon after Sabio’s sixth month as a judge. By that time, documents allege, she should have completed her courses.

Magistrate judges represent about 10% of the judicial branch workforce, according to the North Carolina Magistrates Association, and they are appointed by district court judges.

They are often the first judge people interact with following an arrest. Other duties include accepting guilty pleas, issuing arrest and search warrants, overseeing first appearances following arrests, setting release conditions, accepting involuntary commitment applications and issuing temporary domestic violence protection orders.

“There have been persistent and recurring errors in the Civil and Criminal processes completed by Magistrate Sabio,” Trosch wrote.

Trosch also charged the judge with lacking competence in “the use of technology” adopted by the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts.

North Carolina’s new digital court records and case management system has launched in Mecklenburg County, moving most files and calendars online in October. With it came lags in courtrooms and issues with executing court orders and warrants, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

Among the allegations made against Sabio, Trosch claims she was repeatedly absent from scheduled counseling sessions, shifts, and disciplinary hearings. After missing several appointments, Sabio claimed she was on a medical leave of absence — one that she was not eligible for, Trosch wrote.

The charges were pending a final disposition with the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court, court records indicate. A trial was scheduled, though no new documents have been added to the docket.

Do you know of any cases affected by Magistrate Robin Sabio’s alleged misconduct ? If so, or if you have any other information about Charlotte’s court system, email reporter Julia Coin at jcoin@charlotteobserver.com or reach her at 704-218-9350 .