WCNC confronts paramedic accused of theft

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. -- A Lincoln County EMS worker admitted in court that he stole money from fellow paramedics and even some of the injured in his care.

Rob Drobinski pleaded guilty to those charges Wednesday. He said he stole from fellow EMS paramedics and several patients that were transported in his ambulance.

For one family, the question isn't the money. It's care, the care their son Darriel Williams, 27, received after he was shot during an argument back in January.  

"I guess my question will always be in my mind, what if he had done what he was supposed to do?" asked Debra Williams, the victim's mother.

Drobinski is the paramedic who treated Darriel at the scene. Wednesday Drobinski pleaded guilty to stealing $600 from Williams.

"A lot of people can get by, but they can't get away," said Darrel Williams, the victim's father.

"I was always told that my son didn't receive any medical attention, and that's what bothered me from day one," said Debra.

The Williams family came to the hearing expecting Drobinski to walk away without serving any time in jail. But they made an impassioned plea to the judge...who listened.

"I wanted him to know while I was speaking to the judge that I was not happy with the sentence they was about to give him," said Darrel.

The judge refused to rubber stamp a plea agreement and postponed sentencing until next month. That leaves open the possibility that Drobinski might go to jail. WCNC tried to talk to him after it was over, but Drobinski did not comment.

"Right now I think there was some justice done this time because he didn't walk in there and get the plea he expected to get," said Debra.

The judge wants some more information about Drobinski's mental state before he hands down a sentence.

The parents said they know their son was alive when paramedics arrived, because witnesses and the elder Williams said he went to the scene and talked to his son before he passed away.

As far as the murder is concerned, police have made an arrest.