Teen Says He Robbed to Buy Mom's Birthday Gift

An 18-year-old Bethlehem man accused of holding up an Easton Avenue convenience store in July told police he did it to buy his mother a birthday present, according to court papers.

Cameron Christian Blake of 1306 W. Lehigh St. was charged Wednesday in the July 8 armed robbery of the Delta Mini Mart at 2145 Easton Ave. According to the arrest warrant, Blake pointed a black handgun at a store clerk and demanded all of the money out of the cash register, which turned out to be $259.

According to the warrant:

• “Give me the money, give me the money, give me all the money,” Blake told the clerk as he brandished the handgun during the 3 a.m. robbery.
• The clerk told police he took the cash drawer out of the register and tried to hand it to Blake, who instead reached inside the drawer and pulled out the cash. The suspect then looked inside the register before running away, according to the affidavit.
• Blake admitted to the robbery in a Sept. 25 interview at Bethlehem Police Department headquarters. After he realized he would not be paid until after his mother’s birthday, he said he decided to rob the convenience store to buy his mother a Kindle Fire tablet.
• Blake said he went to the store armed with a BB air handgun and held up the clerk. He told police he got away with $130, of which $82 was spent on the tablet. He spent the rest on marijuana for himself, he told police.

Blake was charged with felony robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned before District Judge James Narlesky of Hanover Township and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $150,000 bail.