A robbery suspect from Burlington who evaded police for more than a week before his arrest, and who pleaded not guilty Friday to several state charges, now faces a federal charge.
Federal prosecutors allege that Eric Edson, 52, “obstructed, delayed, and affected commerce” in the alleged armed robbery Aug. 24 at the Sierra Trading Post in Burlington.
In charging documents made public late Friday, the prosecutors wrote that, at about 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 24, a “loss prevention detective” at the store saw Edson putting store items into a backpack. The employee tried to stop Edson from leaving, they briefly exchanged words, and then they went back inside the store, according to the filing.
Shortly after, Edson again tried to leave the store with merchandise, according to the charging documents. Prosecutors allege that the employee again told Edson to return the merchandise but this time Edson took a firearm from his hooded sweatshirt pocket and said, “Dude, I’ll blow your head off.”
The store employee then allowed Edson to leave the store and called 911 as Edson ran to a vehicle, got into the driver’s seat and drove away, according to the charging documents.
The store employee told a responding Burlington police officer that the firearm was only “partially removed” from Edson’s sweatshirt, “but he saw the male’s hand on the grip and trigger,” according to the filing.
The items reported stolen included a backpack, 11 shirts, a pair of sneakers, a pair of socks and a water jug — a total of $374 worth of merchandise.
Police reported they later spotted Edson on the morning of Aug. 30 in a vehicle in Burlington; he fled from them in the car and then by bike before stealing a sailboat on Lake Champlain, crashing it into rocks along Rock Point, and getting away on land on foot.
It was not until last Thursday that Edson was arrested. Police said he was seen in a kayak on the Lamoille River in the Franklin County town of Georgia, and after landing the kayak on the shore he led authorities on a chase through some woods before he was captured.
Edson pleaded not guilty Friday to a slew of state charges stemming from his alleged escape from police and from the store robbery. Judge Michael Harris ordered Edson held without bail, awaiting another hearing.
Edson’s lengthy criminal record includes dozens of past convictions, including from another wild chase in December 2020 through the back roads of several Lamoille County towns. In that incident, Edson pleaded guilty to grand larceny and eluding police and was sentenced to 17 months in prison, according to a report from The News & Citizen.
