A Florida man who works as a manager of a Subway sandwich store in Jacksonville is free on bail after being accused of imprisoning a 10-year-old girl at his establishment.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested James Anthony Morris Jr., 33, on Monday and charged him with false imprisonment of a kid under the age of 13. According to an arrest report acquired by Law&Crime, Morris was mopping the floor of the Subway business when he noticed a 10-year-old girl walking across the area he just cleaned. The girl’s mother instructed her to apologize to Morris, who then allegedly grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the restaurant.
He then allegedly confined the girl in a room, prompting the mother to “panic.”
According to the article, the mother originally believed Morris was joking. When she tried to open the door, Morris allegedly “pushed the door closed” with the girl behind it. The mother “fought” with Morris and yelled for assistance. She eventually managed to open the door and pull her daughter out.
after police interviewed with the girl, she stated that after Morris reportedly brought her into the back room, he “gripped her hand even tighter.” According to the report, he started yelling at the girl about her parents being “trash and terrible people.” According to police, the girl “was really scared and thought she was being kidnapped.”
She verified that Morris did not make any sexual approaches towards her. Police claimed Morris had held the girl for “upwards of two minutes” before her mother arrived.
Police spoke with another Subway employee, who heard the mother call for help and reacted. He informed police that he saw Morris reportedly taking the girl away and then “heard the commotion.” He reportedly told police that Morris was “acting weird” and that he thought the girl was in danger.
After officers read Morris his rights, he exercised his right to silence and “refused” to make a statement. He secured a $5,000 bond after being booked into jail on one count of wrongful confinement of a kid under the age of 13.
His next court date is scheduled for August 13.
