Suspected Chipotle Robbers Plead Not Guilty

All five of the people accused of robbing the Chipotle Mexican Grill on June 28 have pleaded not guilty.

Their court proceedings are expected to begin in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court this week.

The charges include aggravated robbery, both first-degree felonies, as well as obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony.

Police believe it was an inside job.

The store’s manager Leisha Campbell, 22, of Cleveland — who told police that she was held up at gunpoint by two masked men — was part of the plan to rob the restaurant, according to court documents.

After an investigation, detectives learned that Campbell helped to plan and execute the robbery along with co-defendants Kenneth Cook, Jessica Zimmerman, Randall Zimmerman and Shawn Zimmerman, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.

Campbell originally told police that she was walking to her car around midnight when she was confronted by two masked men who “forced her back into the store” and ordered her to empty the safe, said police chief Timothy Malley earlier this summer. 

A nearby resident saw the two men — wearing black with masks on their faces — dash toward Victoria Avenue, according to the police report.

The suspects fled south and escaped capture. However, a BB gun was recovered near Grant Elementary School.

• Campbell is expected to appear in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Oct. 9. She also faces a kidnapping charge.
• Cook, 50, of Parma, is expected to appear Oct. 25. He also faces a kidnapping charge.
• Jessica Zimmerman, 31, of Cleveland, is expected to appear Oct. 9. She also faces a kidnapping charge.
• Shawn Zimmerman, 26, of Cleveland, is expected to appear Oct. 9.
• Randall Zimmerman, 36, of Cleveland, is expected to appear Oct. 9.

Cook remains in the Cuyahoga County Jail, while the others posted bond.