A downtown Toledo pastor and his wife who are facing aggravated robbery charges involving a weapon appeared Tuesday in Toledo Municipal Court.
St. Paul’s AME Zion Church Pastor Anthony Morris, 49, along with his wife, Zelda Morris, 46, and 19-year-old daughter Kamali Morris, are each charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony.
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Both Mr. and Mrs. Morris are in custody at the Lucas County jail. Their daughter has not been located, according to police.
Toledo Municipal Court Judge Nicole Khoury set bond at $75,000 for each. They were also ordered to have no contact with Nickema Turner.
The couple did not qualify for a public defender, and the case was continued to 9 a.m. Wednesday in Toledo Municipal Court.
Ms. Turner, 39, of Maumee was teaching Sunday school at the church, 954 Belmont Ave. According to Ms. Turner, she was with her 16-year-old daughter, as well as the Morris couple’s 5-year-old and 7-year-old grandchildren, a Toledo police report shows.
Then, Kamali Morris grabbed Ms. Turner by the hair and Mrs. Morris began punching Ms. Turner, police said. The pastor also pushed Ms. Turner to the ground, the police report shows.
Mrs. Morris is accused of dumping items from Ms. Turner’s purse and taking them during the assault.
Ms. Turner attempted to recover her belongings when, police said, Mr. Morris pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. The woman told police the pastor threatened to kill her.
Two prescription bottles, a Taser, and a cell phone were taken from Ms. Turner’s purse, according to the police report. The cell phone was recovered, but the glass was broken.
The Morris family grabbed the two grandchildren and fled from the church, according to the police report.
Ms. Turner had swelling above her eye and was treated at the scene by Toledo Fire and Rescue crews, according to the police report. Ms. Turner and independent witnesses verified the information to police detectives.
Contact Allison Reamer at areamer@theblade.com, 419-724-6506 or on Twitter @AllisonRBlade.
First Published February 20, 2018, 2:44 p.m.
