ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A Wednesday morning bond reduction hearing in St. Louis County included new details in the latest investigation of convicted online harasser Robert Merkle.
5 On Your Side reported last month that Robert Merkle is back in jail in St. Louis County on a new harassment charge months after he completed parole supervision for four previous harassment convictions in Missouri.
Note: The video above first aired Jan. 30.
Merkle, 53, was released from prison on parole on October 2, 2020, after serving two years of a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to six charges of harassment stemming from events in 2017. He completed his parole sentence in October 2021.
The new charge states, Merkle reached out to a former partner claiming he had a key to her home and that he planned to break in and rape her.
Merkle's bond was set at $75,000 in cash with 10% not authorized. In a court hearing Wednesday, his attorney sought a decrease in the judge's bond decision.
Testimony from the investigating officer from Town & Country police included details about the newest allegations against Merkle. The officer tied the accused to a pair of books written by a "Robert Merkle" in the '90s about illicit internet use.
An investigator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation told the court that Merkle is a suspect for a similar incident involving a victim in Georgia. The investigator also described performing a search warrant on Merkle's residence at a local transitional housing facility owned by the Catholic Archdiocese and recovering numerous phones and SIM cards.
An attorney told the court Wednesday that Merkle is no longer welcome at that facility.
Prosecutors asked the judge to not reduce Merkle's bond and also to ensure that Merkle's bond conditions included a stipulation that he may not use phones or computers to access the internet.
Judge Nicole Zellweger stated at the end of the hearing that she would take the information under advisement. Later in the afternoon, a CaseNet docket entry stated that the request for bond reduction had been denied, adding, "the court finds that non-monetary conditions alone are not sufficient to secure the defendant's appearance and/or the safety of the community or others."
The decision added to the conditions of Merkle's bond that, if released to await trial, he would be required to provide proof of installing a GPS bracelet within 6 hours of release and would not be permitted to "possess any electronic devices capable of accessing the internet."
Merkle's preliminary hearing is set for March 1.