By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A 24-year-old Birmingham man has been released from jail and is set to appear in court in July after he was indicted on charges of assisting in a Pelham armed robbery on Christmas Eve 2013.

A Shelby County grand jury has returned a two-count indictment against Romero Deon McMorris, who lists an address on Sixth Street North in Birmingham, charging him with felony counts of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.

According to his indictment, McMorris, along with a juvenile suspect and another suspect named Antonio Woods, entered a Pelham man’s house on Dec. 24, 2013, and stole a Ruger .380 pistol valued at $300, a nickel plated .38 revolver valued at $300, a Nevada wristwatch valued at $800, assorted pieces of sterling silver jewelry valued at $1,000, assorted pieces of gold chains and pendants valued at $200, a Dell laptop computer valued at $800 and an Asus laptop computer valued at $800.

During the alleged robbery, Woods was armed with a gun, which led to the first-degree robbery charge.

McMorris was released from the Shelby County Jail, where he had remained since his Jan. 9, 2014, arrest, after posting bonds totaling $120,000 on March 18.

McMorris’ attorney, Bob Williams, filed a motion in Shelby County Circuit Court in November 2014 requesting McMorris’ bond be reduced, claiming the bond was “unconstitutionally unreasonable and is the equivalent of having no bond set in this matter.

Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves did not take action on the bond reduction request before McMorris was released from jail.

McMorris is now scheduled to appear in court for a status call on July 7 at 8:30 a.m.

First-degree robbery and first-degree burglary both are Class A felonies. If convicted of the crimes, McMorris could face between 10-99 years in prison per charge.