Police: Abuser called victim 223 times — from jail

Sam DeGrave | The Citizen-Times

ASHEVILLE — She took out a domestic violence order against him after she said he repeatedly punch and slapped her. He later called her from jail 223 times — sometimes 13 times a day — over the span of four months, police say.

Now, Lewie P. Robinson, a 53-year-old Arden resident, faces 28 counts of violating the domestic violence protective order taken out by the woman he's accused of beating.

Police say he called his victim multiple times a day on 28 different days, most of them in March and June. Arrest warrants say Robinson called the woman every day between June 9 and Sunday, when he called her 11 times.

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, which runs the county detention center, took out the charges against Robinson on Monday. He was already in custody on charges including assault on a female — against the woman he is accused of calling hundreds of times from jail — when deputies served the 28 new arrest warrants.

The detention center allows inmates to make calls during free time. No call can last longer than 10 minutes, according to jail rules, but there is no limit to how many calls can be made.

"Per Detention Facility Command Staff, unless Detention personnel are notified by the investigator handling the investigation, court personnel or the victim, an inmate’s phone access is not prohibited or altered," sheriff spokeswoman Natalie Bailey wrote in an email to the Citizen Times.

Robinson's criminal history includes domestic disputes dating back at least 10 years.

He was charged with assaulting in late May the woman authorities say he continuously called from the Buncombe County Detention Center. He was also charged at the time with violating the protective order his victim had taken out against him in early November, after she said he got drunk and severely beat her, she wrote in court documents requesting the protective order.

Buncombe County District Court Chief Judge J. Calvin Hill approved the woman's request, noting in the protective order that she "still has black eyes."

Robinson was charged with assault inflicting serious injury at the time, but the charges were dismissed.

Robinson nine years ago was convicted on an assault on a female charge, stemming from the beating of a different victim. She, too, took out a domestic violence protective order against Robinson, who later asked Hill to remove the order because it was hurting business opportunities. Hill denied Robinson's request and in 2012, he was charged with violating the protective order. That charge was dismissed.

Robinson is currently being held without the possibility of bail because he's facing a charge of felony probation violation, eliminating all chances of pre-trial release.

He appeared in court Tuesday on the 28 counts of violating a domestic violence protective order. He's set to appear in court next week and next month for his other pending charges.

This story will be updated.