SKOWHEGAN — A man sent to prison for armed robbery at a Madison credit union in 2008 was arrested Monday at the institution’s Skowhegan branch as he attempted to get a loan to pay court-ordered restitution for the robbery.
Joshua Lieberman, 21, of Skowhegan, was arrested on charges of violating the conditions of bail and probation by entering any one of four Franklin Somerset Federal Credit Union offices.
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District Attorney Evert Fowle said the bail and probation violations are not the first against Lieberman since his release from prison on the robbery charge.
On three occasions in 2009 and 2010, Lieberman violated his probation by possessing marijuana and was sent back to jail twice.
On his third violation, last October, his probation officer filed a motion in court to force Lieberman to pay the restitution from the robbery.
“It’s clear that probation isn’t doing Mr. Lieberman any good,” Fowle said Tuesday. “Our position will be that he should do significant prison time. I don’t think he gets it.”
Fowle said his office argued in October that Lieberman should be held without bail, but a judge released him.
“This was now his third violation of probation and he hadn’t paid any restitution and the court let him go on $500 cash bail,” Fowle said. “So he’s locked up again and we will again be asking that he be held without bail.”
Lieberman was taken into custody Monday afternoon at the credit union’s Skowhegan branch on East Leavitt Street after a teller recognized him from the robbery, police said Tuesday.
“He said he just didn’t realize it was same corporation,” Skowhegan police Officer Ronnie Blodgett said. “That just doesn’t even sound right, that he went back to the institution that he stole from to get a loan to pay off what he owed them.”
Lieberman was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced in December 2009 to serve eight years in the state prison, with all but one year suspended and three years of probation, once he was released. Police said he was the driver of the getaway car in the heist.
He also was ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution.
Fowle said Lieberman has about seven years left to serve on his suspended sentence.
Doug Harlow — 474-9534
dharlow@centralmaine.com
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