February 10, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP (MERCER)– A 31 year old Hamilton woman was arrested yesterday following a robbery that occurred at the Circle Deli located at 3212 South Broad Street.
The customer entered the family owned and operated small business on February 9 around 3:30 pm, and began to argue with the employee about payment over merchandise. During the argument, the female grabbed the glass tip jar and threw it to the ground. She took the money from the tip jar off the floor, told the employee she was keeping the money, and attempted to leave. The employee blocked the exit door to keep the female from leaving, when the female began to repeatedly strike her with a closed fist.
The female stopped striking the employee when she was informed the police were called. She then dropped the money on the floor. Once police arrived on the scene, she was placed under arrest. The employee refused any medical attention.
The arrestee was identified as Melissa Williams, 32, of Hamilton. She was charged with Robbery.
MidJersey.News had a chance to speak to one of the 911 callers at the scene. The 911 caller stated she attempted to call the Deli to order food, when it was taking a while for the phone to be answered. Once the phone was answered, she states no one acknowledged the call, but a female was heard in the background yelling, “Give me the f*cking money b*tch.” That’s when she disconnected with the Deli and called 911.
Another employee that was at the Deli at the time of the robbery told MidJersey.News that this is not the first time this lady has caused a disturbance in the business, however it has never gotten physical and was usually quickly resolved among themselves.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Nick Schulte of the Hamilton Police Division’s Criminal Investigation Section at 609-689-8525 or the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.
Hamilton Police remind the public that despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Melissa Williams
