Estranged husband of missing Charlestown woman appears in court after Bellows Falls incident By Kyle Jarvis Sentinel Staff | Posted: Friday, July 5, 2013 1:15 pm BRATTLEBORO — As police continue the search for a missing Charlestown woman, her estranged husband is under scrutiny by law enforcement officials. N.H. Senior Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell said Wednesday that James R. Robarge is “an obvious person of interest in our investigation into his wife’s disappearance.” Kelly J. Robarge of Happy Acres Road went missing on Thursday, June 27, and has not been heard from since. She also filed for divorce the same day in 5th Circuit Court Family Division in Claremont, citing irreconcilable differences. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that he would be a person of interest based on the fact that his wife went missing on the same day she filed her divorce paperwork, that they were in the process of divorce, and were estranged,” Morrell said. Her comments came after an attorney prosecuting an unrelated case in Vermont Wednesday involving James Robarge said in court the 43-year-old was considered a suspect in a missing persons case in New Hampshire. Authorities say they believe Kelly Robarge likely met with serious physical harm or death, but haven’t said why they think that. The ongoing investigation and search effort has covered a wide swath, including the Robarges’ Happy Acres property and areas in Charlestown, Claremont, Unity, Saxtons River, Vt., local wooded areas, wetlands, and the banks of the Connecticut River. James Robarge is accused of leading Bellows Falls police on a brief chase Tuesday afternoon before being apprehended inside the Rockingham Medical Group health care facility in Bellows Falls. He faces a felony charge of attempting to elude officers with gross negligent driving, and a misdemeanor charge of gross negligent driving. Judge David T. Suntag set bail at $5,000 Wednesday in the Windham Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court, with a pretrial conference scheduled for Oct. 14. Tuesday’s incident, which occurred just hours before James and Kelly Robarges’ two daughters hosted a candlelight vigil in North Charlestown for Kelly Robarge, unfolded as follows, according to multiple affidavits provided by Bellows Falls police and Vermont State Police officers: At approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, Bellows Falls police received a phone call from Dr. Josh Dufrense, who advised that a person later identified as James Robarge had called to schedule an appointment at the Bellows Falls medical clinic for 3 p.m. Dufrense advised police that “this person was likely to become violent and hurt himself or others,” according to an affidavit from Vermont State Police Det. Sgt. Richard Holden. In a separate affidavit, Bellows Falls Det. Lt. Shane M. Harris said Bellows Falls police officers would attempt to intercept Robarge en route to his appointment after they were told doctors at the facility were concerned that Robarge might kill himself there. Bellows Falls police officer William D. Frank was one of the officers assigned to intercept Robarge, according to court documents. In an affidavit filed by Frank, he and fellow officer Mario Checchi took up a position on Route 121 in Bellows Falls, where they later observed Robarge driving his stepfather’s 1996 Chevrolet Blazer. The officers stopped Robarge, where they ordered him at gunpoint to place both hands outside the driver’s-side window. Robarge complied, but upon being ordered by the officers to exit the vehicle, Robarge took off in the Blazer into the village with officers in pursuit, according to the affidavit. Frank wrote that Robarge was driving 50 mph in a 25-mph zone before pulling into the medical center parking lot. He and Checchi observed about 75 vehicles and several pedestrians in the parking lot and were concerned Robarge might hit one of them, according to the affidavit. “There was a woman and her two children that were coming from the parking lot, crossing the driveway headed toward the main entrance that had to retreat back into the lot to avoid the oncoming Robarge,” Frank said in the affidavit. Robarge then “drove straight toward the front door ... and stopped very abruptly nearly striking one of the large planters ... he then immediately fled the vehicle and a foot pursuit ensued,” Frank said in the affidavit. Police chased Robarge inside the facility, where Robarge allegedly ran down several hallways as they repeatedly ordered him to get on the ground. Robarge ran into an office, where he was tackled by police and placed in custody, according to the affidavit. In court Wednesday, Robarge appeared wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He was represented by Joanne Baltz, a public defender in Windham County, who argued for his release pending a follow-up court date. The proceeding was delayed by nearly an hour and a half so Robarge could undergo a mental health evaluation, which was conducted by JoAnn Dressel, a crisis intervention specialist with Health Care and Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont. Dressel determined that Robarge is not a danger to himself or others, despite a previous evaluation conducted Tuesday that found otherwise. Deputy State’s Attorney Steven M. Brown asked Dressel about the discrepancies in the two evaluations, and Dressel replied she could only make a determination based on her own evaluation in court Wednesday. Brown, who asked Suntag that Robarge be held on bail, cited statements he’d made to police or to mental health screeners Tuesday in which he’d said if he had a gun he would have shot himself by now, and that he’d been having thoughts about driving off a cliff. Brown also told Suntag that Robarge “is a suspect in a missing-persons case in New Hampshire.” Baltz acknowledged that when her client pulled over for police and saw guns drawn, “he panicked,” a statement supported by statements Robarge made to police, according to affidavits. “My client did the right thing, he went to the doctor’s office,” where he felt safe, she said. Baltz argued that Robarge is not a flight risk due to his family ties to the region, and said he’s been living with his stepfather in Saxtons River, Vt., for the past few months in the home where he grew up since separating from Kelly Robarge. Suntag said Robarge’s alleged actions warranted setting cash bail. Morrell said the search for Kelly Robarge would continue today. Home Page Top News Sports
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 04:34:39 +0000
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