Two armed robberies, along with the normal calls for service and
a holiday campaign against drinking and driving have kept Morgan
Hill Police officers busy.
Two armed robberies, along with the normal calls for service and a holiday campaign against drinking and driving have kept Morgan Hill Police officers busy.
“The holiday season is always a busy one for us, but the two armed robberies are a little unusual,” MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said.
The first armed robbery occurred on Thursday at approximately 6:30pm, when the suspect entered Simple Beverages and Cigars, 17290 Monterey Road.
The suspect, described as a 5-feet, 7-inch tall, male Hispanic, approximately 20 years old, with a medium complexion and short, shaved hair, weighing approximately 150 -160 pounds, placed several items on the counter for purchase, then lifted his sweatshirt to show the clerk a semi-automatic handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants.
When the suspect demanded money from the register be put into a bag and the clerk hesitated, the suspect pulled out the gun and pointed it at the clerk. The clerk then put the money – approximately $400 – into a bag. The suspect fled on foot.
There was one witness in the store at the time of the robbery. A search of the area by police was unsuccessful. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head.
The weapon was described as a “big black gun with a spot of silver showing near the barrel.”
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the police department or call the Crime-Stoppers anonymous hotline at: 408-778-7867.
Three days later, on Sunday evening at approximately 6:30pm, there was a holdup in a restroom at St. Catherine’s Church, 17500 Peak Ave.
The suspect, who was arrested later that night, asked the male victim, Morgan Hill resident, if he had a car, and when the victim said he did, the suspect pulled out a gun – which later was found to be a toy replica – and demanded the car keys.
The suspect then went to the church parking lot to look for the vehicle, but fled as police arrived. Officers were unable to locate the suspect.
Nearly an hour later, at approximately 7:25pm, MHPD received call from an off-duty officer in northwestern Morgan Hill, in the area of Llagas and Christeph roads. A man matching the description of the suspect had gone to the officer’s door requesting a jacket. Officers searched the surrounding area for more than an hour without success.
In the early hours Monday, at approximately 2:20am, San Jose Police responded to a call from a train conductor who said he had seen a body near the railroad tracks near Palm Avenue north of Morgan Hill. The conductor believed the man may have been hit by the train.
SJPD contacted the man, who turned out to be the suspect in the robbery at the church.
Christopher Ross Hilty, 35, of Morgan Hill, was booked into County Jail on charges of armed robbery and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
SJPD police said Hilty brandished a knife, but dropped it after repeated demands. The robbery victim identified Hilty as the man who took the car keys.
