Austintown man pleads guilty to charges in Niles robbery

February 13, 2012 at 8:30p.m.

WARREN — Michael J. Ellenis, 22, of Woodledge Drive, Austintown, pleaded guilty today in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to robbery and tampering with evidence in the July 3, 2011, robbery of Handel’s Ice Cream on U.S. Route 422 in Niles.

Police said Ellenis walked up to the window of the shop, brandished a semiautomatic gun and took a small amount of cash. There were eight to 10 customers nearby, police said.

Ellenis could get up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in about five weeks.