Alleged knife-wielding robber arrested

A man accused of invading and robbing a Navy Hill home while allegedly wielding a knife was arrested over the weekend and was brought before the court yesterday for a bail hearing.

Joseph Lee was arrested last Saturday and was brought before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho yesterday on charges of robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and disturbing the peace. Camacho imposed a $20,000 cash bail on Lee.

Despite the defense asking that Lee be released on his recognizance or at least to a third-party custodian on the argument that he wasn’t brought before the court in a timely manner, the judge remanded the defendant back to Department of Corrections custody. Lee was ordered to return to court Jan. 10 for a preliminary hearing; he will be arraigned on Jan. 22.

According to court documents, the Department of Public Safety received a report at around 5:58am on Dec. 25, 2023, about a burglary and theft incident in progress. The caller, Jeffrey Hofschneider Jr., informed police that there was a man inside his house stealing items and that he was armed with a knife.

At the scene, Hofschneider told police that he heard noises outside his room at about 4:30am, but he thought it was the wind and the leaves blowing, so he just ignored it.

A louder sound roused him at around 5am, so he looked outside his bedroom and that’s when he allegedly saw a man crouched in the living room, trying to pack a karaoke machine inside a bag.

Hofschneider told police he yelled at the man and the defendant allegedly picked up a knife and charged at Hofschneider. The victim, however, managed to close and lock his bedroom door.

At that point, Hofschneider said he took out his service weapon and warned the burglar that he had a gun and would shoot. He then called police for assistance.

Some of the things Lee allegedly stole were a Magic Sing Karaoke set, microchips, a laptop, shoes, alcoholic beverages, a hat, shorts, and the key to a Nissan Titan car, along with some house keys.

Lee was identified by a neighbor who sent Hofschneider a photo of the suspect and Hofschneider allegedly identified the clothes that Lee was wearing as among the items that had been stolen.

Hofschneider later positively identified Lee in a police line-up as the man whom he allegedly saw inside his house on Christmas Day.