On the evening of Thursday, January 3, police arrested a local man, charging him with home invasion after he illegally entered an occupied house on the northern end of South Main Street, following his erratic behavior outdoors near the Ram Pasture.

Police said they arrested Andrew John Robbins, 52, of Newtown, on charges of home invasion, carrying a dangerous weapon (knife), first degree criminal trespassing, second-degree breach of peace, possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. There were no injuries in the incident.

At about 5:18 pm, police responded to South Main Street, near Borough Lane, after receiving reports from motorists that there was a suspicious man walking near the Ram Pasture. The man was acting erratically, walking in and out of rush hour traffic, and yelling at passing motorists, police said.

After a search, police located Robbins on Glover Avenue, where he was running across the street.

While police had Robbins detained in that area, a woman who lives nearby was heard yelling from her house, police said. The woman shouted to police that Robbins had just kicked in her front door and entered her home.

Police said the woman had defended herself by pushing Robbins out of her house and hitting him with a fire poker just before police caught him.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Aaron Bahamonde said that local police had not had any contact with Robbins before the January 3 incident.

“I believe this apprehension was a direct result of [calls from] concerned motorists,” he said. “We were able to quickly apprehend Robbins before anyone was hurt,” he added.

Although Robbins had an illegal knife on his person, he did not present the knife during the incident, the lieutenant said.

When police apprehended Robbins, he was “intoxicated, but cooperative,” Lt Bahamonde said.

Police held Robbins on $100,000 bail overnight for a January 4 arraignment on the criminal charges at Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury. Home invasion is a Class A felony in which convictions carry a minimum ten-year prison term.