Man Accused in Armed Robbery Borrows Car From Mom

GREENFIELD - Police say they are looking for a man accused of abusing a liquor store employee with a bottle of cognac after borrowing his getawaway car - a loaner from a repair shop in Sussex - from his mom.

Nicholas Watson, 26, has been charged with felony armed robbery and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest on June 14. According to his criminal complaint, Greenfield police responded to Jen's Beverage on Howard Ave. on May 24 on a report of an armed robbery.

When police arrived, the apparent victim said he was working in the store when he saw three men walk in. He told police he recognized them from an incident the week prior when they fled after stealing several bottles of liquor, the complaint said.

According to police, when he saw them walk into the store again, he grabbed a baseball bat and told them to leave. A man later identified as Watson then picked up a bottle of Cognac and struck the employee in the head, grabbed bottles of liquor from the top shelf and left in their vehicle.

Greenfield police learned that the vehicle used by Watson was owned by Schmidt Brothers Inc. in Sussex, and had been loaned out to a person who had been getting work done on their car, the complaint said.

When police found the Watson's vehicle the next day, they talked to his mom, who identified that it was, in fact, her son that was caught on a still photo taken from surveillance footage at Jen's Beverage, and that her son had borrowed the vehicle that was loaned to her from Schmidt Brothers Inc, the complaint said.