Vinton woman charged with giving gun to 16-year-old son will remain in jail pending trial

A federal magistrate made good on his promise in March to revoke a Vinton woman's pretrial release if she racked up another violation.

Robyn Merchant, 53, charged with giving her 16-year-old son a rifle that was unintentionally fired by another teen, killing 14-year-old Emma Redlinger on Feb. 24, 2015, will remain in jail pending her trial June 13, U.S. Magistrate Jon Scoles ruled last month.

Prosecutors on April 19, asked the judge to revoke again because she didn't show up for state court on April 1, which resulted in an arrest warrant being issued, as well as for her failure to appear for drug testing on April 16, which was a required condition for pretrial release.

Prosecutors asked the court in March to revoke Merchant's pretrial release because she lied about her drug usage to probation officers and she missed urine screenings, but Scoles ruled at that time the violations were not sufficient to revoke. But at that hearing he warned her that if she tested positive again, he would send her to jail.

Merchant, also known as Robyn Winterroth, was charged in March with one count of providing a firearm to a prohibited person. She is accused of purchasing a Walther HK MPS 22LR semi-automatic rifle for her son Dillon Winterroth, 16 at the time, the day before Emma Redlinger was fatally shot last year.

An investigator testified during her detention hearing in March that teens told a grand jury that Dillon Winterroth was dealing drugs out of the home and they also purchased drugs from Merchant when he was gone.

William Hines Jr., Winterroth and another teen were passing around the gun that day in Winterroth's bedroom when it discharged, juvenile petitions show. Emma Redlinger died four days later. The teens initially lied to police about what had happened, but Hines eventually admitted he was holding the gun when it discharged, according to the petitions.

Dillon Winterroth, now 17, pleaded guilty last month in juvenile court to misdemeanor drug charges. Hines is charged with involuntary manslaughter, interference with official acts and harassment of public officers and employees, and will be tried as an adult.