Photo provided Columbus police escort Robert Carl Christopher, 55, Indianapolis, to a police car after a foot chase leading to his arrest, following an armed robbery of the Moose Lodge on Thursday in downtown Columbus.
Photo provided Columbus police escort Robert Carl Christopher, 55, Indianapolis, to a police car after a foot chase leading to his arrest, following an armed robbery of the Moose Lodge on Thursday in downtown Columbus.
A Columbus native who admits committing an armed robbery at a local fraternal organization received a 10-year sentence Thursday in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
As part of a plea agreement, Robert “Carl” Christopher, 56, pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2023, to armed robbery as a Level 3 felony. In exchange, a second count of armed robbery was dropped, as well as misdemeanor charges of interference with the reporting of a crime and resisting law enforcement.
Judge Kelly Benjamin ordered that nine years be served in prison, with one year in a Community Corrections program. The defendant was given credit for 420 days already served in jail.
Several details regarding the case were revealed during the sentencing hearing. Christopher was a member of the Moose Lodge in Columbus who, along with his parents, had a 35-year relationship with the frateral organization. A report read aloud in court stated Christopher knew at least two of the seven people in the lodge during the noon hour holdup on Feb.9, 2023.
However, he wore an elaborate disguise that included a ski mask, panty hose, hoodie and adhesive tape to pull back skin to change the shape of his eyes, the report states.
In order to avoid the chance that someone might recognize his voice, Christopher used a pad of paper with pre-written orders on them, the judge said.
When Christopher entered the lodge, he had a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver with five rounds in the chamber, as well as what he claimed was a police radio, deputy attorney Sara Laska said.
Video surveillance showed the robber pointed his handgun at a man when the victim tried to reach for a telephone. Benjamin said she found that quite disturbing because if Christopher had been more nervous, he could have easily pulled the trigger.
But the judge was most disturbed by the image of a terrified woman in her mid-70s holding her hand over her heart as Christopher worked to break open a floor safe. Lodge manager Brian Holbrook testified the experience of the robbery had left the woman with anxiety issues, high blood pressure and a deep fear of opening doors to strangers.
“People have nightmares about robbers in masks breaking into their homes,” Benjamin told Christopher. “It’s horrifying.”
Holbrook had entered the lodge in the middle of the crime, according to footage from the surveillance video. However, Christopher was too preoccupied with the floor safe to noice him. Some in the bar made hand motions to indicate the lodge was being robber, while others simply tried to get him to leave.
Holbrook testified he understood what was going on, quietly left the building, called 911 and retrieved a gun from his vehicle.
He told dispatchers he was about to reenter the building to confront the robber, but dispatchers convinced him not to take such a risky action, Holbrook testified. Instead, the manager followed Christopher after he fled the building while updating dispatchers on the robber’s whereabouts. Police were able to capture Christopher within minutes in the 1000 block of Franklin Street.
Three witnesses called by defense attorney Kathie Ann Perry all described Christopher as a giving man. Two family members, as well as a local minister, said they had no idea why he robbed the lodge.
While the suspect had lost his job due to ill health, his wife testified they were not in immediate need of money. In fact, the family had their mortgage paid three months in advance and had recently purchased a car and motorcycle with cash, according to court records.
But excerpts of interviews read aloud in court indicate Christopher has long suffered from depression and anxiety, as well as a serious heart condition. He is currently taking about a dozen prescription medicines for his physical and mental well-being, a family member stated.
A psychiatric report read in court states the defendant claimed to feel he was only half the man he had been since he lost his job and couldn’t provide for his family. Christopher also claimed he had suicidal thoughts the day of the armed robbery, and had reached the point where he placed a gun to his head while in his garage.
But the judge did not accept the defendant’s explanation that the armed robbery was a compulsive act and a foggy memory. Benjamin cited the elaborate disguise, the use of tape to change his eyes, his decision to park his car away from the lodge, the decision to use notes to communicate, and the completion of chores earlier that morning.
“You say you don’t remember much, but this is the first time I’ve heard of this in three different reports I’ve read,” the judge told Christopher. “This was premeditated. This was thought out.”
While records show Christopher has not been arrested for more than 20 years, substance abuse evaluations showed he either has or did have a dependency on opioids, alcohol and tranquilizers. Reports state he also had a history with cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine and marijuana.
