Pinkel’s driver’s license case dismissed by judge

By: Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -- For Mizzou head football coach Gary Pink saw his case against the Department of Revenue dismissed by a judge this week.

Judge Michael Gilley dismissed the case without prejudice on Monday, writing that Pinkel was lawfully arrested for driving while intoxicated on July 9, 2025. The filing also states the arresting officer had reasonable grounds to believe Pinkel was intoxicated.

Pinkel filed the lawsuit last year in an attempt to keep his driver’s license. Pinkel eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in the criminal case on June 29.

Court documents from the criminal case say Pinkel flagged down a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper due to car troubles. Pinkel allegedly failed some sobriety tests on the scene, and a breathalyzer test registered his blood alcohol content at .128.

In his case against the Department of Revenue, Pinkel argued he was “not legally arrested or stopped” and that the trooper did “not have reasonable grounds to believe that Petitioner was driving a motor vehicle while in an intoxicated” and that Pinkel refused the test under Missouri’s Implied Consent law, previous reporting shows.

Pinkel was MU’s head coach from 2001-15 and has a prior DWI plea from 2011.