A Pittsburgh man is facing robbery charges after police responded to an altercation outside of the University Avenue Sheetz on Jan. 3.
Morgantown police were dispatched to the parking lot of the gas station at about 9:30 p.m. for a reported disturbance involving two males in the parking lot, a criminal complaint said.
Police found both of the individuals involved and reviewed security footage after determining a fight had occurred.
The officer’s report stated the video showed one of the men, identified as Jason Devon Saunders, 35, of Pittsburgh, walk up from behind the alleged victim, who was talking on a cell phone.
With the victim’s back to him, Saunders allegedly “struck the victim on the left side of his face causing him to fall over an outdoor table,” the complaint said. “Saunders then grabbed the victim’s cell phone and attempted to run away with the phone.”
The victim quickly recovered, however, and was able to catch up to Saunders and “an altercation ensued,” the complaint said.
Saunders is being charged with first-degree robbery including committing violence to the person by striking or beating. The charge is the first felony filed in Monongalia County in 2023.
At an arraignment hearing Jan. 6, Saunders pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is currently being held on $25,000 bond at North Central Regional Jail.
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