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WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley man is facing felony charges accusing him of assaulting a convenience store clerk with a cup of hot coffee in order to steal two bags of chips.
Jericho Sale Niko, 24, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; commercial obstruction, a second-degree felony; and trespassing, a class B misdemeanor.
On Sunday, Niko went into a 7-Eleven, 3510 S. Redwood, where police say he was a "regular patron" and had been removed from the store before. Niko grabbed two bags of chips and a coffee and walked to the front counter.
"He went to the register, removed the lid from the coffee cup, reached past the plastic screen barrier, maneuvered the cup beneath the plastic screen, and forcibly directed the contents of the cup onto (the employee's) face," according to charging documents. "He then dropped the cup and ran out of the store."
Police say the attack was unprovoked and the clerk had not said anything to him when he approached the register.
Responding officers noted the employee's face "was covered in red burn marks and had a blister on his forehead due to the temperature of the coffee that was thrown into his face," the charges state. "He also said that he had been temporarily blinded by the incident."
A warrant was issued Tuesday for Niko's arrest.
