A.C. police seeking sex-offender in robbery try

Atlantic City police are on the lookout for a short-statured sex offender who allegedly wreaked havoc on the Boardwalk over the past couple of days.

Police say that Vincent Lee Robinson, 44, a homeless man, threatened a uniformed bicycle officer at 10:46 a.m. yesterday with a knife, then fled beneath Atlantic City's famous Steel Pier near the Taj Mahal Casino. Police established a perimeter and brought in search dogs to locate Robinson but couldn't.

During the investigation, police say, a rolling-chair operator advised them that Robinson had tried to rob him at gunpoint on the Boardwalk the previous night.

Robinson, about 5 feet 1 and 130 pounds, is wanted for a probation violation in Bangor, Maine, stemming from a sex-assault charge. According to court documents, Robinson was convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in the summer of 1997.

The girl was visiting a home and met Robinson, who asked her to help with laundry, according to the documents. Once in a wooded area, Robinson tied the girl's hands behind her back, stuffed a sock in her mouth and raped her, the documents state.

Robinson is listed on the Maine sex-offender registry as having an address in Bangor in April. Atlantic City Police Sgt. Monica McMenamin said it was unclear why he was in Atlantic City.

Robinson, who is white with red hair, was last seen wearing a dark T-shirt with white writing, light-colored pants and light-colored shoes. He is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about Robinson's whereabouts is asked to call 609-347- 5766.