COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Chicago man who was a suspect in a January 2018 strong armed robbery at a motel on the city’s east side entered a no contest plea to a charge of aggravated assault Tuesday during a preliminary exam in Branch County District Court. 25-year old Peter Berry is scheduled to be sentenced April 30, 2018.
The original charge of unarmed robbery will be dismissed by prosecutors.
Coldwater City Police say the robbery happened at the Coldwater Inn and Suites, the former Super 8 Motel on Orleans Boulevard, where police have made a number of arrests of suspected drug dealers on several occasions dating back to last fall. Officers said the victim of the crime, who is from Kalamazoo, was robbed of his red Jordan Air Nike shoes.
The 21-year old man was at a party when he was assaulted after being zip tied to a chair. Police learned of the incident when they were called by the hospital in Coldwater where the emergency room said they were treating a highly intoxicated man for chest and facial injuries suffered in an assault.
Officers reported that the very next day, the victim called police after he said he saw the alleged robber walking down Morse Street wearing his Nike shoes. A witness to the robbery at the party identified Berry to police and they obtained a warrant for his arrest.
