A SeaTac man has been charged with second-degree robbery after he allegedly walked out of Doc’s Marina Grill without paying his bill Thursday, but then pulled a knife on the bartender who confronted him after he left.
Nicholas Robert Jennings, 32, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 19 after he entered Doc’s and ordered beer and a shot of whiskey.
The bill came to $13.07, and Jennings left the restaurant without paying and began walking up Madison Avenue.
The bartender followed to see if Jennings was going to pay his bill when Jennings ducked into a hair salon on Madison Avenue, according to court papers.
The bartender followed inside, and when he asked if Jennings was going to pay his bill, Jennings allegedly said “no” and looked for an escape route out of the salon.
With the bartender blocking the front door and the only way out, the bartender grabbed a skateboard in Jennings’ hands to stop him as he tried to go past and a struggle ensued.
Jennings allegedly pulled an 8-inch folding knife out of his pocket, and at that point, the bartender “took him to the ground” and held him there until police arrived, according to court documents.
While waiting for police, Jennings apologized and offered to pay his bill.
Jennings told an officer that he had been on his phone and forgot to pay his bill when he left the restaurant. Police believed Jennings to be intoxicated, and he was arrested for third-degree theft and second-degree assault.
The knife was recovered by police.
In a police report, a Bainbridge officer said the knife was “very sharp to touch and overall could cause great bodily injury or death if it had been used.”
Bainbridge police also noted Jennings has a history of alcohol-related offenses and a prior assault on his record.
Jennings was charged with second-degree robbery on Friday, Sept. 20 in Kitsap County District Court.
He is being held in the Kitsap County Jail and bail has been set at $12,500.
Authorities did not list a home address for Jennings in court charging papers; an online search by the Review found addresses for Jennings in SeaTac.
Second-degree robbery is a felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a $20,000 fine upon conviction.
