Subway Manager Arrested for Allegedly Locking Child in Back Room

Authorities report that a Subway manager in Florida has been arrested after an incident involving a 10-year-old girl. The manager, James Anthony Morris Jr., 33, is accused of locking the girl in a back room of a Jacksonville restaurant after she inadvertently stepped on a freshly cleaned floor.

According to an arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, this strange episode unfolded on Monday. The girl was with her mother when they entered the sandwich shop. After stepping into a wet area, the mother asked her daughter to apologize, but Morris reportedly responded by grabbing the girl’s hand and dragging her to the back room.

Once inside, Morris allegedly tightened his grip on her hands and made derogatory remarks about her parents, criticizing them as “bad people.” Initially, it seems the mother thought he was joking, but panic set in when she realized she couldn’t open the door.

Officers have noted that there was a scuffle as the mother tried to reach her daughter, and ultimately, she managed to free the girl by opening the door in an intense moment of distress.

Reports suggest that another employee, who had witnessed the commotion, described Morris’s behavior as “strange.” The girl, recounting her experience to police, expressed her fright during the two minutes she was confined, stating she felt she was being “invited” but was really just scared.

Morris did not provide a statement to law enforcement regarding the incident. He faces charges of false imprisonment of a minor and is currently in custody. Later, he was released on a $5,000 bond. A court date is scheduled for August 13th.