RUTLAND, Vt. — A North Creek man who was arrested for attacking a woman in western Vermont while he was on parole for domestic violence in New York was convicted Tuesday of five charges after a trial in Vermont.
Roy H. Kuhlmann, 51, was convicted of two counts of domestic assault and single charges of unlawful trespass, obstruction of justice and unlawful restraint after a trial in Rutland District Court that stemmed from his arrest last February.
Vermont State Attorney Rosemary Kennedy, who prosecuted the case, said the jury found that Kuhlmann injured the woman on two occasions in late 2017 and early 2018, and chased her around her home during the last attack until she was able to summon help by messaging a relative who called police. Vermont State Police arrested him despite the fact he told them he was a “sovereign citizen” who they could not legally arrest.
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Authorities said Kuhlmann met the woman, who lived on Route 133 in the town of Ira, on an online dating website after he was released from prison in New York in 2017.
He had two prior felony convictions before a May 2012 assault case in Johnsburg in which police said he attacked a woman and caused broken ribs and facial bones, which netted him a 5-1/2-year prison sentence. He also was directed to spend 3 years on parole after his release from prison, and he was paroled in January 2017.
The Vermont victim testified that Kuhlmann began exhibiting jealous and controlling behaviors, texting her repeatedly, showing up at her place of work, forcing her to video-chat with him so he could see where she was, and threatening to kill her if she ever cheated on him. Kuhlmann told the victim that he had physically abused women in the past.
He was arrested after a Feb. 22, 2018 incident where he entered the woman’s home without permission, hiding under her bed and surprising her. Police said his explanation was that he was trying to catch her cheating.
“She thought he was about to kill her,” Kennedy said in a news release.
Kuhlmann is being held in Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Rutland pending sentencing, and he faces up to 15 1/2 years in state prison when sentenced June 25. He may also have to serve additional time in New York state for violating parole by getting arrested.
“The victim who testified in this trial showed great courage in coming forth and sharing her story,” Kennedy said. “No one should be in a relationship where they are made to feel worthless or where their physical safety is regularly threatened.”
Kuhlmann’s lawyer, William Cobb, said he had no comment on the case Friday.