James Brobin

St. Louis County Jail

ELY- An Ely man convicted earlier this year of threatening his neighbor with a handgun is facing a new felony charge after allegedly threatening to burn down the same neighbor’s house.
James Francis Brobin, 68, was charged July 20 with felony threats of violence and misdemeanor obstruction of the legal process stemming from an alleged July 17 confrontation between the two West Harvey Street neighbors.
According to the criminal complaint, the neighbor told Ely police that Brobin was outside retrieving his dogs when he called the neighbor “a piece of shit” and threatened to burn down his house.
The neighbor showed police security video of the encounter, although the recording did not include audio. Police said the video showed Brobin pointing toward the neighbor’s yard, bringing two dogs back into his residence, and then making an obscene gesture toward the neighbor through the screen door.
Brobin admitted making the gesture but denied threatening to burn the house, according to the complaint.
Police told Brobin he was under arrest for threats of violence and instructed him to place his hands behind his back. The complaint alleges that Brobin instead turned toward the stairs leading into his residence and became argumentative, saying he needed to close his door. Police said Brobin tensed his arms and pulled away before being handcuffed following a brief struggle.
The new allegation came less than three months after Brobin was sentenced for threatening the same neighbor on Christmas night.
According to the complaint in that case, the neighbor reported that Brobin threatened to kill him. Brobin then went inside his residence and returned outside with a large handgun equipped with a scope. An Ely police officer reviewed security video that appeared to show Brobin pointing the weapon toward the neighbor’s home. Police later recovered several firearms from Brobin’s residence, including a scoped handgun.
Brobin was convicted of felony threats of violence and sentenced May 4. District Court Judge Michelle Anderson stayed imposition of the felony sentence and placed Brobin on supervised probation for two years. Successful completion of probation would reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor.
Following the July allegations, Brobin’s probation officer alleged that the new arrest and contact with the neighbor violated the terms of his probation and recommended that the stayed sentence be vacated. A judge signed a warrant directing that Brobin be taken into custody.
In requesting $50,000 unconditional bail in the new case, prosecutors cited safety concerns and what they described as Brobin’s history of ongoing and escalating behavior toward the neighbor. The neighbor told law enforcement he believed Brobin was capable of carrying out the alleged threat, according to the prosecution’s bail recommendation.
Brobin was booked into the St. Louis County jail on July 20 and released on Tuesday, July 28. The available court record does not indicate whether monetary bail was imposed or specify the conditions of his release.
An omnibus hearing on the new charges and a probation violation hearing in the earlier case are both scheduled for Aug. 10.