An Elyria man is facing a felony robbery charge after allegedly entering a local convenience store, asking for a job application, and then robbing the clerk at gunpoint — with what was later identified as a pellet gun.
Christopher R. Morris, 35, was indicted on May 8 by a Lorain County grand jury on one count of robbery, a second-degree felony. He is currently being held in the Lorain County Jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond. The case has been assigned to Judge Giovanna Bremke in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas.
According to Elyria police, Morris walked into the Convenient Food Mart located at 8703 West Ridge Road around 7 a.m. on April 7 and asked the store employee for a job application. Moments later, he allegedly pulled a Glock-style pellet gun and demanded cash. The employee complied, and Morris fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
Responding officers, assisted by a Lorain County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, tracked Morris to an apartment in the 100 block of Ridge Circle. Surveillance footage showed a man matching his description entering the building. Police found Morris inside the apartment, wearing the same clothing as seen in the footage. Officers also recovered the suspected pellet gun and an amount of cash believed to match what was taken during the robbery.
Morris was arrested later that morning and initially charged in Elyria Municipal Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. He waived his preliminary hearing on April 16, and the case was bound over to the Common Pleas Court.
Court records show that Morris has a prior conviction for burglary in 2010. The indictment includes a “repeat violent offender” specification, which could increase his sentence if convicted. Another specification seeks the forfeiture of the pellet gun allegedly used in the crime.
He remains in custody pending further proceedings. A message seeking comment from his defense attorney was not immediately returned.