Felony continuous family violence charges against a Missouri City police officer who once ran for Houston mayor were dropped in court records filed Thursday, nearly four years after her arrest upset a campaign built around police accountability. Robin Williams, the officer and former candidate, had been accused of using her department-issued baton and taser to assault her live-in boyfriend.
According to Fox 26 Houston, prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the case, stating per court records that the allegations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The outlet notes that prosecutors could still refile charges in the future, since the dismissal is without prejudice. Williams, for her part, said she did not strike her partner on December 31.
An Arrest That Upended a Mayoral Campaign
Williams announced her campaign for Houston mayor in February 2022, joining other candidates in the race to succeed Mayor Sylvester Turner, according to KHOU 11. She campaigned under the slogan “Back the Blue but not bullies in blue,” framing her platform around law enforcement reform, as reported by Fox 26 Houston at the time of her arrest.
That framing collided with her own legal troubles on January 10, 2023, when off-duty Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constables arrested Williams while she was meeting with supervisors at the Missouri City Police Department, booking her on a third-degree felony charge of continuous violence against a family member, per Click2Houston. Following a court appearance that same month, she posted a $15,000 bail under bond conditions that barred her from contacting the alleged victim and from possessing or carrying firearms, the outlet reported.
Video Evidence and the Underlying Allegations
Charging documents detailed video evidence recorded on August 4, 2022, showing Williams in a Missouri City Police Department shirt striking her partner multiple times with a department baton while yelling about a broken $2,000 cell phone, according to the same Fox 26 Houston report from January 2023. Williams continued her mayoral campaign despite the pending charges, though she was ultimately unsuccessful in securing the vote.
In the November 7, 2023 Houston mayoral general election, Williams ran as a certified write-in candidate and received 101 total votes, representing 0.04% of the electorate, according to Ballotpedia. John Whitmire won the race in the December 9, 2023, general runoff. Before entering local politics, Williams served in the United States Marine Corps from 2011 to 2015 and earned a master's degree in Criminal Management and Justice Administration from Bellevue University in 2017, per her Ballotpedia profile.
Administrative Leave and an Unresolved Employment Question
Immediately after her arrest, a spokesperson for the Missouri City Police Department confirmed Williams was placed on paid administrative leave pending internal and criminal investigations, according to the Houston Chronicle. Her current employment status with the department remains unclear, per Fox 26 Houston's reporting on the dismissal.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 25.11, continuous violence against the family aggregates two or more domestic assault allegations within a 12-month period into a third-degree felony, punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Deandra Grant Law. Harris County District Court dockets had scheduled Williams' trial to begin on January 20, 2026, before the dismissal filing in late 2026 ended that timeline, per Fox 26 Houston's earlier court coverage. Because the dismissal was entered without prejudice, prosecutors could refile the case.
