AUGUSTA — A Vassalboro man who stalked his ex-girlfriend, stole her father’s cremated ashes and stole her daughter’s pet geckos pleaded guilty Thursday to several charges.
Edward B. Robinson
Edward B. Robinson, 40, was indicted in July by a Kennebec County grand jury on 14 counts: domestic violence stalking, domestic violence assault, domestic violence terrorizing, harassment by telephone or electronic communication device, criminal mischief, four counts of burglary, two counts of theft and three counts of violation of a protective order.
While many of those charges were dismissed in a plea agreement with state prosecutors, Robinson pleaded guilty Thursday to domestic violence stalking, theft by unauthorized taking and burglary, and to several lesser charges.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but with all but four years suspended, and three years of probation.
The suspended years mean if he meets the conditions of his probation, he will serve four years in prison. If he does not meet the conditions of his probation, he could have to serve the full 10-year sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Amanda Seekins said if the case had gone to trial, evidence would have been presented to show that between April 28 and May 12, 2021, Robinson had an argument with his then-girlfriend, pushed her against a bookshelf and threatened to kill her. Then, over the next five days, Robinson sent her more than 200 texts and Facebook messages and left her more than 20 voicemail messages, according to Seekins.
Robinson also drove near his then girlfriend’s workplace and waved to her. He also admitted to going into her mother’s garage and draining the oil out of a vehicle he had previously seen her driving, which he told police was done to scare her.
The woman also said that between April 28 and May 12, Robinson broke into her apartment, where he left her a series of letters that caused her to suffer emotional distress.
The theft count to which Robinson pleaded guilty states he took the victim’s daughter’s pet geckos, an urn containing the cremated ashes of her father and photographs.
Robinson entered the woman’s Vassalboro apartment May 12 while she was staying elsewhere because, she told police, she was terrified of him and scared to stay at the apartment.
When she returned to the apartment, she told police she noticed her daughter’s two geckos were missing and there was a stack of letters that were not there previously. Police said the letters appeared to have been written by Robinson, according to an affidavit filed by Deputy Jeffrey Boudreau of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Robinson appeared Thursday at a Capital Judicial Center courtroom via a video link from the Kennebec County Correctional Center in Augusta. He told Judge Sarah Gilbert he understood what he was doing and was guilty.
Robinson’s conditions of probation include that he does not use or possess alcohol, illegal drugs or firearms; has no contact with the victim or her family, and enrolls in substance abuse and batterers’ counseling.
Seekins said the victim in the case was aware and in favor of the negotiated plea agreement that included Robinson’s guilty pleas to several counts and dismissal of several others.
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