Man accused of pulling knife on Denny's staff arraigned on assault charges

By John Counts Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Thu, Jan 17, 2013 : 11:44 a.m.

Leroy Johnson

Courtesy of WSCO

The 65-year-old Ypsilanti man accused of pulling a knife on staff members at an Ann Arbor Denny's after a dispute over restaurant service was arraigned Tuesday on felonious assault charges, Ann Arbor police said.

A warrant filed in circuit court Tuesday lists the charges against Leroy Alexander Johnson as two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a count of defrauding an innkeeper, according to court records.

Johnson was arrested Tuesday around 3:45 a.m. outside the Denny's restaurant at 3310 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor. Police ordered him to drop the knife he was threatening the restaurant's staff with, according to previous AnnArbor.com reports. The man was refusing to pay his bill because of bad service, police said.

Johnson pulled a folding knife and threatened the staff members when they tried to get the man to settle his bill, police said.

Johnson's bond was set at 10 percent of $25,000, but he cannot post it because he was on parole when arrested, according to jail records.

Johnson served a prison term from May 18, 2010 to March 1, 2011 for drunken driving, third offense, according to state records. Johnson was on parole until March 1, 2013.

He remains in the Washtenaw County Jail. A preliminary examination date was set for Jan. 24.