AUGUSTA — An Oxford County man accused of attacking a sleeping man with a frying pan was indicted on several charges, including robbery, burglary, aggravated assault and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.
Zebbie D. Thomas Jr., 33, of Hiram was arrested with his wife, Pearle Thomas, 34, of Augusta, on April 29 in West Gardiner after state police spun their vehicle out to end their pursuit. Police said the couple had evaded arrest multiple times in the weeks prior.
At the time of his arrest, Zebbie Thomas was wanted on warrants in an April 21 incident in Augusta. In that incident, he was accused of striking a sleeping man multiple times with a frying pan. The man was left bleeding, going in and out of consciousness, and went to the hospital for treatment. The frying pan had several dents in it from the attack, according to an affidavit filed in court by David Adams, an Augusta police officer.
In the affidavit, Adams describes Zebbie Thomas as a local drug dealer with a history of strong-arm robberies for money and drugs. The victim in the frying pan beating was also described in the affidavit as someone involved in the drug trade in the area. The victim told police he was sleeping when Zebbie Thomas woke him, demanded to know “where the money was,” threatened to kill him, and struck him in the head with the frying pan eight to 10 times.
Thomas was indicted by a Kennebec County grand jury, which met July 21, on charges of robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, theft by unauthorized taking, and violation of condition of release, in connection to the April 21 incident. The robbery charge is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but indicates enough evidence exists for a case to proceed toward trial.
Thomas and his wife were charged with eluding an officer, driving to endanger and failure to stop in the April 29 chase in which a state trooper spotted them in a Chevrolet Impala on Townhouse Road in West Gardiner, allegedly with Pearle Thomas driving, and Zebbie Thomas a passenger.
The couple did not stop the car after the trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop, and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit lasted about 4 miles.
Moss said Trooper Samuel Quintana used a maneuver to spin out and stop the vehicle on West Road. The Thomases were arrested and treated at a local hospital for minor injuries before being transported to Kennebec County jail.
Zebbie Thomas remains jailed, according to jail records.
Zebbie Thomas was arrested on two warrants in August 2024, following another police pursuit which started in Monmouth and ended in Augusta with a brief standoff with police.
