NILES — The suspects alleged to have robbed Pete’s Southside Marathon Tuesday received formal charges during their arraignment Wednesday afternoon at the Niles courthouse. 

Kelly Scroggins, 33, of the 1200 block of Lawton Street in Elkhart, received three felony charges: unarmed robbery; resisting and obstructing a police officer; possession of methamphetamine and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana. The charges were read to her by Judge Charles LaSata. Scroggins was represented by defense attorney Scott Sanford.

Scroggins will be held on a $50,000 bond cash or surety. She will be assigned a court appointed lawyer.

Scroggins said she did not understand why she had three felonies.

“You guys are full of surprises, let me tell you” she said.

Scroggins also said she was dealing with a recent death in the family, which left her feeling “lost,” to which LaSata said committing a crime was not a good way to honor their memory.

Marc Antony Fritz, 30, a homeless man from South Bend, is a co-defendant in the alleged robbery. He was also represented by defense attorney Scott Sanford. Fritz was charged with three felonies: unarmed robbery; felon in possession of ammunition; possession of methamphetamine and a misdemeanor: possession of marijuana.

LaSata questioned why Fritz and Scroggins are not employed. Both said they are unemployed due to drug use. 

Like Scroggins, Fritz’s bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety. He will be represented by a court-appointed lawyer.

The incident leading to their arrest occurred Wednesday when the Niles Police Department was contacted by St. Joseph County authorities and asked to be on the lookout for a silver vehicle potentially involved in an Indiana robbery. Following the call, Niles police received word of a robbery at Pete’s Southside Marathon. A vehicle at the scene matched the description they were given earlier. Police swiftly arrived on the scene and were able to detain Scroggins and Fritz.

According to court records, Scroggins entered Pete’s Southside Marathon, 1293 S. 11th St., and slipped a note to the cashier stating that she “wanted all the money in the register.” She also told people to “cooperate and no one gets hurt.” When the cashier did not give her the money as requested, Scroggins left the store with a bag of merchandise, where she was confronted by police. Scroggins was also found to have a knife in her front pocket, though the weapon was not displayed or observed, according to an earlier statement made by the Niles Police Department. Police also said no one was injured during the events that unfolded Wednesday.

Following the arrest of Scroggins and Fritz, police possessed the silver Chevy Equinox that they had been driving and enacted a search warrant on the vehicle. Police located illegal drugs and what is believed to be stolen merchandise.

Scroggins and Fritz will appear in court next for a pre-exam conference at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. An exam will follow on Nov. 6.

Kelly Scroggins’ mugshot was not made available by the court before press deadline.