Background: News footage of the Subway sandwich shop in Jacksonville, Fla. (WJAX). Inset: James Anthony Morris Jr. (Jacksonville Sheriff”s Office).
A Florida resident recently avoided serving time behind bars after confining a young girl in a Subway restaurant’s room.
James Anthony Morris Jr., aged 34, admitted to charges of child abuse on April 30. This plea came within a year of being accused of unlawfully detaining a child under 13. According to Law&Crime, the incident took place on July 21, 2025, when Morris was managing a Subway outlet in Jacksonville, Florida. The situation unfolded after a 10-year-old girl stepped onto a freshly cleaned section of the floor.
The girl’s mother instructed her to apologize to Morris, who then seized the child and confined her in a back room.
Initially, the mother believed Morris was making a joke. However, her concern grew when she approached the door to retrieve her daughter, only for Morris to push it shut, keeping the girl inside. For about two minutes, a struggle ensued between the mother and Morris, while the child remained locked away. The frightened girl later recounted to the police her fear of being kidnapped during the ordeal.
During her confinement, Morris berated the child, making disparaging remarks about her parents, calling them “trash and terrible people.”
The mother ultimately managed to free her daughter and promptly alerted the authorities.
Morris refused to speak with police, who arrested him at the Subway restaurant, though he bonded out of jail shortly after.
On April 30, Morris pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse. He was sentenced to two days in jail, but received credit for time served, leaving him with no further jail time. He was also sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to stay away from the victim and her mother. According to online court records, Morris was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation and a substance abuse evaluation. He was ordered to pay $769 in court fees.
