TERRE HAUTE — A Terre Haute man accused of snatching $17 out of the hands of a young lemonade stand operator on Monday faced a judge Tuesday on allegations of felony robbery.
Steve Tryon, 18, told police his friends put him up to taking the money from the 11-year-old girl, whose stand was at Deming and Center streets. The 11-year-old and a 12-year-old girl were selling lemonade there.
Tryon was arrested on allegations of robbery, a class-C felony, and false informing, a class-B misdemeanor.
Tryon allegedly approached the lemonade stand around 2:20 p.m. and offered to sell the two girls a knife. The girls told police they said they didn’t want to buy a knife.
Tryon left, and returned a little bit later. The 11-year-old told police she had put all the money — about $17.50 — in a plastic cup the first time Tryon came to the stand, and she was holding it against her stomach.
She told police that when Tryon returned a second time, he demanded the money from her. He then allegedly grabbed the cup from her and fled on foot.
The 12-year-old, Dominique Morefield, told police she immediately began running after the alleged robber, and saw him go into an apartment in the 1700 block of Center Street. She called police.
According to court documents, when officers arrived, two of Tryon’s friends told them that Tryon took the money, but that he said he was sorry. They told police that Tryon wanted to give the money back. The two friends also told officers that Tryon, who would not come out of the apartment for about 45 minutes, was only 16.
When Tryon finally emerged, the two victim-witnesses positively identified him as the man who had stolen their lemonade money. Initially, police took Tryon to the Vigo County Juvenile Justice Center, where he continued to claim he was 16.
When he finally admitted he was 18, police asked Tryon why he lied, and he told them that he had been scared.
According to Terre Haute Police Detective Starla Neidigh, Tryon continued to apologize and said he “just wanted to make things right.”
Neidigh also said Tryon told police his friends pressured him to steal the money, saying, “I’m the kind of guy, if somebody tells me to do something, I do it.”
Neidigh said later, “No matter whether there’s peer pressure, there’s right and there’s wrong … he did it because he needed cigarettes.”
Tryon’s only criminal record is a juvenile matter involving fighting at school, and that matter has been resolved, according to authorities.
Judge Dexter Bolin, sitting in for Judge Michael Lewis in Vigo County Superior Court Division 6, gave Tryon a bail of $50,000 with 10 percent allowed.
Tryon can be detained until Friday while the prosecutor’s office decides what charges, if any, to file. He is scheduled for court on at 11 a.m. Friday.
Deb Kelly can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.kelly@tribstar.com.
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