Oklahoma man pleads guilty to robbing Columbia hotel

Darrell Eugene Black, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the armed robbery of a Columbia hotel, which occurred on May 31, 2017.

According to the office of the U.S. Attorney, Wester District of Missouri, Black pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a stolen firearm.

Black robbed the Staybridge Suites Hotel on Keene Street in May 2017. “Black entered the hotel at approximately 1:50 a.m., pointed his pistol at the clerk, jumped over the counter and demanded money,” said the district attorney’s office in a press release. Black took approximately $200 from the desk drawer and threatened to kill the clerk if she did not open the safe.

However, the clerk told Black that only the manager had a key to open the safe. Black attempted to tie the clerk’s hand behind her back and told her not to move. The clerk called the police 10 to 15 minutes after Black left the hotel.

Black was detained later that day by the Jefferson City Police Department.

Black’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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