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Lexington man pleads guilty to civil rights charge for throwing banana peels at Haitian neighbor’s home
Robert Ivarson was also found to have Nazi and KKK paraphernalia and a hoard of illegal guns in his home.
A Lexington man pleaded guilty to a criminal harassment and a civil rights violation this month for repeatedly throwing banana peels at the home of a Haitian family in his neighborhood.
While searching the home of 55-year-old Robert Ivarson in connection with the civil rights charge, police also found dozens of illegal guns, leading to a number of gun charges he also pleaded guilty to this month.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday that on Dec. 31, 2016, Lexington police arrested Ivarson on civil rights and harassment charges after determining that he had been going out in the early morning to throw banana peels at the home of a Haitian family that was living in his neighborhood.
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The family had reported finding the banana peels on 30 to 40 occasions over several months, the DA’s office said. Police even saw the defendant throwing banana peels a few days before he was arrested.
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On Jan. 6, 2017, local, state, and federal officers executed a search warrant at Ivarson’s home in connection with the charges. During the search, the DA’s office said, they recovered 56 pistols and rifles, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and several large-capacity magazines.
Additionally, police reportedly found Ku Klux Klan and Nazi paraphernalia and photographs in Ivarson’s home.
In October 2017, police received new information about Ivarson and obtained a second warrant to search his home. During the search, they seized 17 more weapons, including 10 assault weapons, according to the DA’s office. Among the assault weapons were AR-15-style rifles with large capacity magazines and an Uzi, a type of submachine gun.
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In total, investigators seized over 73 weapons from Ivarson’s home, the DA’s office said. He has been banned from owning firearms since the 1990s when he was convicted of various offenses and his firearms license was revoked.
On Feb. 3, 2023, Ivarson pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possession of an assault weapon, 11 counts of possession of a large capacity weapon, 11 counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device, 24 counts of possession of a firearm as an armed career criminal, 12 counts of possession of a shotgun as an armed career criminal, 41 counts of possession of a rifle as an armed career criminal, criminal harassment, and a criminal civil rights violation.
Superior Court Justice Laurence Pierce sentenced Ivarson to seven to nine years in state prison, followed by three years of probation. During his probation, Ivarson must have no contact with and stay away from the victims and their family. He is also prohibited from owning firearms, dangerous weapons, ammunition, or magazines, and must undergo a mental health evaluation and complete any recommended treatment.
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