Man robbed Taylor movie theater by pretending cell phone was gun, police say

ROUND ROCK — A man robbed a movie theater in Taylor by pretending the cell phone in his pocket was a gun, police allege in court documents.

Paul Chenault, 42, of Bartlett, was charged with robbery, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The incident happened on Dec. 19 at the Howard Movie Theater at 308 N. Main St. in Taylor, according to an arrest affidavit released this week. Police were notified at 8:27 p.m.

An employee at the theater told police that a man, later identified by police as Chenault, put a hand in his pocket and pointed at her from inside the pocket as if he had a gun, the affidavit said. She told police Chenault told her to open the cash register, which she did, and gave him $500.

Chenault said to the employee, “I am sorry, I just lost my job and this is money for Christmas,” the affidavit said. Just as Chenault was about to leave, the employee saw that the item in his pocket that she thought was a gun was really a cell phone, police said.

She confronted him about pretending it was a gun and was able to grab the money out of his hands, the affidavit said. She told police Chenault then ran out of the building.

Chenault was wearing a jacket with an H-E-B grocery store logo on it, the affidavit said. Investigators watched video from a surveillance camera at an H-E-B at 100 Carlos Parker Blvd. in Taylor and were able to identify Chenault leaving the business wearing the same clothes he wore to the theater, the affidavit said.

The document did not say whether Chenault was an employee at the grocery store. Police found Chenault at the Walmart in Taylor, and he told them he had robbed the theater, the affidavit said.

Chenault was being held Thursday in the Williamson County Jail with bail set at $30,000.