Published on April 1, 2026 2:39 pm
Last Updated on April 1, 2026 2:39 pm
A local man is in custody on an armed robbery charge after allegedly holding up a motel employee at knifepoint.
20-year-old Nicholas A. Courtright is being held on the armed robbery charge, which is a Class X felony, along with a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to real property.
Effingham city police responded to a 911 call at 10:35pm Tuesday to Days Inn for a report of a robbery that had just occurred. The initial report was that a male subject, armed with a knife, had demanded the hotel’s cash drawer from an employee. After seizing the cash drawer, which contained an undetermined amount of cash, the subject fled before police could be alerted. No injuries were reported.
City police arrived within minutes and searched the immediate area, then reviewed the hotel’s video camera footage to determine the suspect’s direction of travel. After determining the suspect’s direction of travel, an Effingham Police K9 was deployed to perform a track and successfully recovered the cash drawer and articles of clothing believed to have been discarded by the suspect.
Utilizing a drone operated by Effingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies, the suspect was located in a makeshift encampment in a wooded area behind Boos Outlet Showroom at 1703 Avenue of Mid America, where officers and Illinois State Police troopers made an arrest without further incident.
An initial court appearance will be held Thursday to determine eligibility for continued detention under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act. Because Courtright used deadly weapons during the commission of a robbery of an individual at a business, Effingham Police Department is in support of detention for Courtright.
Effingham Police Chief Kurt Davis applauded the cooperation of agencies and highlighted the benefits of using real-time technology during incidents. Chief Davis noted, “I’m proud of the work our officers, alongside our partner agencies, did to safely apprehend this suspect. In a small community like ours, teamwork and strong relationships make all the difference, and that was clearly demonstrated here. The use of a variety of tools and technology such as video surveillance, Police K9, and a drone helped us track and locate the suspect rapidly. Utilizing all available tools at our disposal allows us to keep the public as well as officers safer. We’re grateful this situation was resolved without injury to either members of the public or responding law enforcement officers. At this time, there is no indication the suspect was working with anyone else – this appears to be an isolated incident.”
