A Burlington man wanted on an armed robbery charge who authorities said eluded them for a week before his capture Thursday has pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges against him.
Eric Edson, 52, entered his not guilty pleas during his arraignment Friday morning in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burlington on a variety of charges, including assault and robbery with a weapon and other counts stemming from his time on the run.
Those offenses include two counts of unauthorized use of a boat and three counts of careless and negligent operation of a vessel as the result of his alleged theft of a sailboat used as he fled police in Burlington on Aug. 30.
Judge Michael Harris granted a prosecutor’s request to hold Edson without bail pending another hearing. Edson took part in the arraignment by video from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, where he was taken following his arrest.
Police allege that Edson robbed a Burlington store on Aug. 24, and then fled from law enforcement on Aug. 30 after he was spotted in a vehicle.
Edson was taken into custody Thursday in the Franklin County town of Georgia after he was spotted on the Lamoille River in a kayak, which authorities said they believe he had stolen.
