A Williamsburg-area restaurant owner will serve more than five years in prison after breaking into his ex-fiancée‘s home.
Michael Maksimowicz, the executive chef and owner of Casa Pearl, pleaded guilty last Monday to charges of abduction, brandishing a firearm, breaking and entering and violating a protective order, according to Nate Green, the commonwealth’s attorney for Williamsburg-James City County.
The case stems from a Feb. 4 incident in which Maksimowicz, 41, broke into the home of a woman from a prior relationship, Green said. Late that night, after banging on the windows, Maksimowicz went into the house through the garage door and chased the woman and another individual with a gun.
While he left the home without harming anyone, he took the woman‘s dog, Green said. Court documents described the woman as Maksimowicz’s ex-fiancée.
Police found Maksimowicz intoxicated a short distance from the home. He admitted to breaking into the house and was arrested, Green said. The victim’s dog was returned unharmed, and Maksimowicz was released on bond on the following day.
A protective order for the woman was issued on April 16. That same day, she received an email from an unfamiliar account. Police discovered Maksimowicz was the sender after monitoring his phone calls, Green said.
Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court Judge Holly Smith sentenced Maksimowicz to a total of 22 years behind bars, but suspended much of it. She ordered him to be on good behavior for 22 years and barred him from the neighborhood in which the woman lived.
Maksimowicz, who came from a background in fine dining, was previously a chef in Washington, D.C., before he opened Casa Pearl in a former Texaco gas station on Merrimac Trail in late 2018.
A character reference included in court documents from Casa Pearl’s general manager, Kristen King, described Maksimowicz as hardworking, honest and responsible, who was committed to the Williamsburg community with a leadership style “rooted in support and second chances.”
James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, james.robinson@virginiamedia.com
Dining and Cooking