By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — A developmentally disabled man, recently awarded by the state for his work at a popular cafe in Inwood, was arraigned Tuesday on charges he allegedly used a BB gun to mug a man in Isham Park in February.
Jermaine Yarborough, 23, was charged with robbery in the second degree in the incident, court documents show. The victim identified him as the man who allegedly stole $35 from his wallet after flashing a pellet gun.
The victim, who lives near Isham Park, said he was accosted and robbed as he walked through the park on his way to the A train at the corner of Isham Street and Broadway on Feb. 9 at approximately 7 a.m.
Yarborough allegedly told the victim to "sit down on the stairs and give me your wallet," before asking if the victim had a laptop in his bag, according to court documents. The victim said in an interview that he got away after a scuffle, during which he disarmed his attacker and tried to throw the BB gun into nearby bushes.
But Yarborough, who commutes to work at the Indian Road Café from his home on the Lower East Side, told DNAinfo he was not in the park the morning of the attack, but happened to be coming out of the subway on his way to work when police stopped him as they searched for the attacker.
"They made me put my hands up on the wall and told me I 'fit the description' of the mugger," he said, adding that his typical route to work from Isham Street to 218th Street bypasses the park altogether.
Three weeks later, he was chosen from a line-up at the 34th Precinct after he was arrested at the café, Yarborough said.
Calls to Yarborough's lawyer were not immediately returned.
Yarborough has no criminal record and his employer of three years, Jason Minter, said he believes the arrest is a case of mistaken identity.
"The fact that he has been put through this hell based on a sketchy ID at best is an incredible miscarriage of justice, not to mention a ridiculous waste of time and taxpayer dollars," Minter wrote in an e-mail.
The owners of Indian Road Café received a 2010 New York State Office for People with Development Disabilities "Works for Me" award for their work with Yarborough.
"Jermaine is completely incapable of committing any crime, let alone an aggressive one," Minter said. "He is a sweet, gentle guy with a great sense of humor."
Yarborough was arrested and released last week, but was back in court for his arraignment on Tuesday. He is due back in court on May 18.
