A 29-year-old Racine man faces a felony charge of attempted armed robbery after his arrest Friday in Mount Pleasant.
The felony charge filed Friday in Racine County Circuit Court against Aaron B. McGraw carries a fine of $50,000 and 20 years in prison. McGraw also is charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia, which carries a fine of $500 and 30 days in jail.
According to the criminal complaint: Mount Pleasant police officers were dispatched to America’s Best Value Inn, 5419 Durand Ave., for a report of a robbery. Officers went into the lobby and observed two males on top of a male suspect, later identified as McGraw, who then was taken into custody.
The front desk employee told police that McGraw entered the hotel with a plastic bag over his head in an attempt to conceal himself, jumped over the counter, said he had a gun and demanded all the money in the register.
The employee refused to give up the register and tried calling 911, but McGraw ripped the phone from her hand, picked up a white container and tried to hit her with it. The woman said she was swinging and kicking at McGraw while calling for help when two other men entered and took McGraw to the ground until police could arrive.
During a search of the defendant, police found a 4-inch long clear glass pipe used to ingest crack cocaine. A preliminary breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.13.
Court records indicate that McGraw is a repeat offender with a felony conviction within the past five years.
McGraw, who made his initial court appearance Friday, is due back for a preliminary hearing Oct. 10 at 9 a.m.