A man accused of stalking a UF student rejected his plea offer in Alachua County Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.
Troy-Baker Robinson, 35, was offered a 3-year prison sentence with 3 years of probation by prosecutors to resolve all burglary and stalking-related charges from his September 11 arrest.
However, Robinson rejected the plea deal, insisting on moving forward to an open trial. Robinson’s attorney, Matthew Landsman, said that he hopes for an April trial for his client during the hearing. The defendant could face a lifetime sentence plus 26 years if convicted.
In August, Robinson had a couple of incidents involving burglary and stalking that contributed to his arrest on Sept 11.
On Aug 13., Robinson was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling after he broke into a StadiumHouse apartment.
Gainesville Police Department Officer Demitri Weekes collected footage of Robinson going into the apartment at 4 a.m. and later walking out of the apartment while trying to hide something on the front side of his jacket, according to a GPD arrest report.
Robinson then came back to the apartment, this time without a jacket, and left the apartment with a black book bag held to his chest while trying to hide his face, according to the arrest report.
He stole an iPad, AirPods, credit cards, a Florida driver’s license, $400 in cash and a North Face backpack while all four female UF students were asleep in their apartment, according to the arrest report.
After Robinson’s arrest, he would initially deny going into the apartment but then backtracked and said he did go in the apartment while on shift as an Uber driver. However, he would again deny his presence at the apartment to go against his previous claim, according to the arrest report.
When authorities searched his wallet upon arrest, they found the missing Florida driver’s license belonging to one of the StadiumHouse residents, a bank card and other gift cards potentially belonging to the same resident.
On Aug 25., Robinson was charged with stalking, cyber stalking and assault or battery during burglary.
Robinson began talking to a female UF student in the courtyard of her apartment complex at 11 p.m., according to a Gainesville Police Department arrest report. The two hadn’t met prior to the occasion.
Robinson asked for the female’s phone number which she agreed to, however, he then started “pressuring” her, according to the arrest report, and asked if he could come into the student’s apartment. After he was denied permission, Robinson continued to ask if he could come in and even asked if he could lay in her bed.
As the female student began to step inside her apartment, Robinson followed her and pushed his way through the door threshold with no invitation, according to the arrest report.
He then put his arm around the female student’s shoulder, attempting to hug and kiss her. “Give me a kiss and a hug,” Robinson said according to the arrest report.
The female student immediately pushed him out of the apartment and closed the door, but Robinson continued to stand outside the door and called the student’s phone several times before finally leaving, according to the arrest report.
However, it would only be two days until Robinson would show up again outside the student’s apartment door at 10:30 p.m. He texted her saying, “Come to your door,” while also knocking from the outside, according to the arrest report.
Robinson tried to reach the student three more times between late August and early September before his eventual arrest.
On Dec. 19, Robinson underwent a psychological evaluation determining that he was mentally competent enough to proceed in the case rather than be sent to a rehabilitation facility.
After Robinson’s bond hearing in September, his parents suggested the best thing for their son would be rehabilitation, not to be released back into the world. His mother, Gina, joined the hearing on Thursday via Zoom.
Robinson will stand in court before Judge James Colaw next on March 14 to discuss case management.