News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, November 10, 2025

Armed Robber Sentenced to 13 Years, Seven Days After Crime

(ZANESVILLE, OH)

On November 10, 2025, Mason Williams, 22, of Duncan Falls, admitted guilt for charges that stem from Williams robbing a South Zanesville business and holding an employee at gunpoint.

Williams’s charges include Aggravated Robbery with a Firearm and Forfeiture Specification, a felony of the first-degree.

The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office was able to quickly bring the case to resolution by way of a bill of information.

A bill of information is a formal, written charge presented to the defendant. A bill of information is used in place of presenting a case to the Grand Jury when a defendant is willing to promptly accept responsibility as well as the sentencing recommendation made by the prosecutor’s office. The signing of the bill also serves as a guilty plea.

Williams’s bill of information included a recommendation from the State for a 13-year prison sentence and forfeiture of the firearm and vehicle that Williams used to commit the crime.

Judge Kelly Cottrill proceeded directly to sentencing, ordering that Williams serve 13 mandatory years in prison for his crime.

Case Details:

On November 3, 2025, at 9:29pm, the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a local business in reference to an armed robbery.

Detectives learned from witnesses and video footage that at 9:24pm, Mason Williams drove his vehicle to a local business. Williams was armed with a handgun. Williams entered the store in a ski mask and approached a 17-year-old employee, pointing the gun at her while at the same time demanding money.

While the clerk was getting the money Williams chambered a round (prepared the gun to shoot) while pointing the gun at the employee.

After taking the money Williams fled the scene.

Unknown to Williams, while he was robbing the business, an outside witness spotted him entering the business with a ski-mask and gun, called 911 and provided dispatchers with his vehicle license plate and direction of travel.

The Sheriff’s Office and South Zanesville Police worked together to quickly identify the suspect and take him into custody.

Detective Sergeant Brady Hittle then interviewed the suspect and obtained a full confession.

Detectives recovered a total of $349.00 that Williams stole from the business.



“From the time this crime occurred to the time the defendant entered a guilty plea was less than seven days,” according to Prosecutor Ron Welch. “This type of swift and meaningful justice doesn’t occur everywhere. It’s the result of having law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges who take the safety of this community seriously.”

Prior to sentencing, the victim’s mother explained to the court that her child is a very strong and kind young person, who had never experienced any type of violence. She described that her child “faced a trauma that no child should ever endure – having a gun shoved in [the child’s] face. The moment has left an indelible mark on [the child’s] spirit.”

Welch added, “The quick response of law enforcement resulted in the immediate arrest of an armed and dangerous criminal. My office immediately went to work contacting victims, filing appropriate charges, and determining an appropriate sentence. “

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle, who handled the case, stated, “Hopefully the young victim who was so terrorized in this case can take comfort from the fact that people in our community see wrongdoing and acts immediately,”

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