WILLIAMSBURG — Casa Pearl executive chef and owner Michael Maksimowicz was sentenced Monday to five years and two months in prison, after pleading guilty to breaking into a former partner’s home and pointing a gun at a man inside, prosecutors said.
Maksimowicz, 40, will serve 22 years of probation after his release. He pleaded guilty to violating a protective order, breaking and entering with a firearm and abduction.
The offenses occurred Feb. 4, according to court records, and Maksimowicz was arrested Feb. 5.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Nate Green said Maksimowicz went uninvited to the home of a woman with whom he had previously been in a relationship. The woman was home with a male friend when Maksimowicz entered through the garage, Green said.
The woman and her friend retreated to a bedroom as Maksimowicz approached, Green said. The man tried to close the bedroom door, but Maksimowicz blocked it with his foot and pointed a gun at him. The man eventually pushed Maksimowicz’s leg aside and shut the door.
Green said the abduction charge stemmed from Maksimowicz’s conduct — entering the home, chasing the pair into the bedroom, and using the gun to intimidate them and deprive them of the ability to move through the house.
Maksimowicz then left with the woman’s dog, Green said.
The woman and her friend called police, who found Maksimowicz nearby a short time later with the gun and the dog. Green said Maksimowicz admitted to police that he had entered the home and was carrying a gun.
Maksimowicz was later served with a protective order. He violated it by emailing the woman, and later admitted as much during a recorded jail call, Green said.
“He and his family are disappointed; his defense attorney, me, is disappointed, but that’s kind of true for a lot of criminal defendants. We still believe that the agreement he made was the best decision he could have made under the circumstances,” said defense attorney Devin Hensley.
Maksimowicz opened Casa Pearl, an oyster and taco restaurant on Merrimac Trail, in 2018. A call to Casa Pearl seeking comment went unreturned.
