A Lincoln County District Judge Monday fined a 48-year-old California woman $500 after she was caught in a car with 24 pounds of marijuana.

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Lincoln County District Judge Donald Rowlands also ordered Kelly Robyn to pay court costs after she pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted possession of marijuana, more than one pound.

Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling said Robyn cooperated with the prosecutors and investigators and that they “question how much she knew” about the marijuana in the car that day.

Harling said she believed the driver, Gary Benedict, 60, of Nevada City, Calif., was the main culprit.

Benedict bonded out of jail and has never appeared at a hearing since. A bench warrant is out for his arrest.

The pair was arrested about four miles west of North Platte on April 3. A Nebraska State Patrol trooper stopped a 1994 Cadillac and requested consent for a search. Consent was denied so a drug-sniffing dog was called to the scene.

An NSP spokesperson said the pooch detected the smell of drugs coming from the vehicle’s trunk. 24.2 pounds of marijuana was discovered in two vacuum-sealed bags inside a duffel bag in the trunk. The trooper also recovered a small amount of meth.

Benedict, the driver, was charged possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of meth. His passenger, Robyn, was also originally charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

In other court action:

• Angela Nila pleaded not guilty to distribution of cocaine and distribution of methamphetamine. She was charged with selling the drugs in the Fantasy Gifts parking lot.

Nila could face a maximum 40-years imprisonment if convicted of the crime. Her trial was set for Oct. 5.

• Eric P. Moreno, 20, 42 S. Jefferson, pleaded guilty to attempted possession of Adderal, also known as Rytalin. He was sentenced to 18-months probation.

Moreno was charged with selling Adderall pills for $5 each on May 19, 2009 and again on June 18, 2009, to a cooperating individual working with the police.

Bob Lindemeier, Moreno’s attorney, said his client wanted to go to Lincoln to reenroll in the methadone program.

• Pablo J. Rodriguez was charged with numerous counts of burglary and violating his probation. Rodriguez left treatment in Nov., 2009, and was arrested on a bench warrant. Rowlands set his bond at $100,000.

• John Graves was before the judge for missing court June 29.

Marty Troshynski, Graves’ attorney, said his client simply mixed up the court dates. He was arrested on a bench warrant for failure to appear

Rowlands said Graves was “not very bright reading his calendar” but reinstated his bond so he can continue to work and pay restitution.

Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling did not object and said Graves would get a better plea agreement if he paid restitution.

• Terry Collins, arrested in an April drug sting that resulted in 14 people facing charges, pleaded not guilty to distribution of marijuana. His trial was set for Sept. 7.

• Dallas Wilson, also arrested in the same sting, pleaded not guilty to distribution of cocaine. His trial was set for Sept. 7.

The investigation lasted for two years and involved numerous law enforcement agencies in Lincoln County.

• Tina Ortega, 37, pleaded not guilty to distribution of marijuana and hydrocodone – Vicodin. Her next hearing was set for Aug. 9.

• Floriberto Nino Parra-Munoz, Jr., 26, 315 E. Ninth, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of assault on a confined person after a fight with an inmate.

Parra-Munoz was serving a 60-day sentence on another charge when the fight broke out May 23rd.

Rowlands lowered Parra-Munoz’s bond to $500 cash. He also ordered Parra-Munoz to wear a SCRAM device if he gets out of jail until his sentencing Aug. 30.

• Brandon Quinn, 20, 509 N. Taft, pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft and one count of false reporting.

When Quinn fell behind in his laptop rental fee, he thought he figured out a way to get out of late payments and maybe get the laptop out of the deal, according to the North Platte police.

The laptop, valued at about $1,000.00, had been rented from Rentway, according to the police.

Quinn told investigating officers that thieves had stolen the laptop and other items from his home, according to the police. But to investigating officers, the story just didn’t ring true. They were suspicious.

After a few days of investigations, the officers obtained a search warrant for Quinn’s home based on information from another burglary that had taken place recently.

While searching the home, investigators found the “reportedly” stolen laptop hidden.

• Michael Meyers, 39, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Meyers, a convicted felon from Wyoming, was arrested after he fired several shots in the 600 block of East Ninth Street in Nov., 2009.

Meyers, a North Platte native, listed his home as in Casper, Wyo. Lincoln County District Judge John Murphy ordered a presentence investigation and sentencing Sept. 20.