EC man found guilty of repeatedly selling cocaine

Dan Holtz, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Dec. 9—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man will be sentenced Feb. 14 for repeatedly selling cocaine in the Eau Claire area.

Zebulon H. Robinson, 40, 2652 Seymour Road, was found guilty Wednesday in Eau Claire County Court to felony counts of cocaine delivery, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Judge Emily Long ordered a pre-sentence investigation by the state Department of Corrections.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors will not seek a prison term for Robinson if the pre-sentence investigation doesn't recommend one. Prosecutors will cap any prison recommendation at six years.

Long is not bound by the agreement and could sentence Robinson to up to 37 years in prison.

Long ordered the $1,418 and Dodge Charger that were seized during the investigation to be forfeited to the West Central Drug Task Force.

According to the criminal complaint:

Investigators with the West Central Drug Task Force arranged three controlled cocaine buys in Eau Claire between Robinson and confidential police informants on April 30, May 4 and May 26.

Following those three cocaine purchases, police obtained a GPS warrant for Robinson's car.

The GPS tracker was placed on the car on May 28, and police could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

An informant told police on June 8 that arrangements were being made to buy two to four ounces of cocaine from Robinson.

The informant confirmed the next day that a substantial amount of cocaine would be purchased from Robinson for $1,500 an ounce.

Robinson's vehicle was pulled over by authorities on June 9 for traffic violations.

A police dog exhibited a positive alert to the possible presence of drugs in the vehicle.

Robinson admitted he had drugs in his possession.

Four plastic bags containing 82 grams of cocaine were removed from his pants pocket. Robinson also had $1,418 in cash in his pocket.

Robinson said he had bought an ounce of cocaine earlier and had mixed it with baking soda. He said the cash was from casino winnings.

Robinson said he knew it looked like a lot of cocaine but that only an ounce of what authorities collected from him was actually cocaine.

Authorities then executed a search warrant at Robinson's residence. They found a digital scale with white residue, a handgun and 10 pieces of miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.