Former University of Missouri head football coach Gary Pinkel has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI tied to a July 7, 2025 traffic stop near the Lake of the Ozarks, according to court records filed Monday. The written plea deal calls for a $1,000 fine plus about $347 in court costs and recoupment and lets Pinkel handle the case without showing up in person. The case traces back to a late-night stop in Camden County where troopers reported slurred speech and a preliminary breath test reading of .128. Pinkel, 74, had been fighting administrative action against his driver’s license and was headed for a bench hearing in Camden County before the plea paperwork landed.
Plea terms and court filing
According to ABC17 News, Pinkel’s attorney submitted a written agreement asking a judge to accept his guilty plea to a misdemeanor driving-while-intoxicated charge. The filing lays out the state’s recommended penalties: a $1,000 fine, $119.50 in court costs and $227 in recoupment. The document also notes that Pinkel can waive his right to appear in person for the plea hearing. Online court dockets did not immediately show whether the judge had approved the deal, leaving the formal sign-off as the next key step in a case that has been pending since the July 2025 stop.
How the stop unfolded
Court records and the trooper’s probable-cause statement say the late-night encounter started when Pinkel flagged down a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper in the Big O Tires parking lot on Bagnell Dam Boulevard after the rear tire on his Cadillac blew out, according to KCTV. The trooper reported a strong odor of alcohol, slurred speech and watery eyes. A preliminary breath test at the scene registered a blood-alcohol concentration of .128, the documents state. Pinkel was taken to the Camden County Jail and released the next day, according to court records.
Background and next steps
Pinkel previously pleaded guilty to a DWI in 2011 and was placed on two years of probation, reporting by KSHB shows. More recent local coverage has followed a months-long procedural battle over the administrative revocation of his driver’s license and the scheduling of a bench trial in Camden County, as detailed by the Columbia Missourian.
Under Missouri law, refusing to submit to a requested chemical test can lead to a one-year administrative revocation of driving privileges, separate from any criminal case, according to guidance from the Missouri Department of Revenue. That administrative process runs on its own track, creating a parallel risk for drivers beyond what happens in the courtroom.
