A 41-year-old Zimmerman man must now serve five years in prison after a Sherburne County judge resentenced him following a ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals that said his original sentence of probation was too lenient.
Judge Brianne Buccicone on Tuesday sentenced Eric D. Haskins to serve prison time for his conviction in a 2021 incident where he repeatedly threatened to shoot a woman with weapons he illegally owned.
According to court documents, the woman called 911 in May 2021 and said Haskins threatened to kill her and wouldn't let her leave his Livonia Township house for several hours. When Haskins left later that day, he took the woman's phone but she was able to leave and call authorities. Deputies found her with bruises and cuts on her face. Investigators found multiple weapons at Haskins' house.
Haskins pleaded guilty to two felony counts: one count of second-degree assault and one count of illegal firearm possession. As part of his conviction, three other charges were dismissed.
At the October 2022 sentencing, Haskins' attorney Christina Zauhar requested he not face mandatory minimum sentences and presumptive prison time, arguing he was remorseful and was a low risk to reoffend because he had support from his family and community.
At the October hearing, Buccicone sentenced Haskins to 36 months for assault and 60 months for illegal possession, but "stayed" the sentences, so Haskins would not have to face prison time unless he violated the terms of his probation.
The state appealed the sentence, arguing the departure from sentencing guidelines was an abuse of discretion. The Appeals Court agreed, stating the record does not support the District Court's assertion that Haskins is particularly amenable to probation.
At Tuesday's hearing, Buccicone resentenced Haskins to a 36-month and 60-month sentence, to be served at the same time, with credit for 120 days already served.
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