Police: 'Praying Robber' Was Fired For Suspected Theft

INDIANAPOLIS -- A not-guilty plea was entered Tuesday on behalf of a man dubbed the "praying robber" as more details about why he was without a job at the time of the crime emerged.

In television interviews, Gregory Smith, 23, admitted robbing a check cashing store at gunpoint on Indianapolis' east side on Oct. 19, and that he prayed with clerk Angela Montez as they engaged in a lengthy conversation about the direction of his life during that robbery.

Slideshow: Robber Hugs, Prays With Clerk Before Taking Cash

He appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last week after a security video showing him praying with Montez was widely shown on television and the Internet, and talked to 6News' Jack Rinehart after his mother prompted him to turn himself in to police.

"She (Montez) just talked to me like a mother or grandmother would to her child, and she made me feel comfortable," Smith told 6News. "(But people) shouldn't feel sorry for me, no."

Clergy members gathered to show support for Smith on Tuesday when he was charged with robbery, criminal confinement, pointing a firearm and carrying a handgun without a license.

"He just needs to be guided. Our job will be to counsel him and give him spiritual advice," said T. Garrott Benjamin of Light of the World Church.

But prosecutors painted a less-sympathetic picture of the accused thief, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported.

Smith has been charged in two robberies this month, with the other one -- an Oct. 14 incident -- involving a payday loan business. He was also fired from his job at an Indianapolis Meijer store after he stole $45 from a customer's purse, police said.

"While he wants to stand behind religion, he shouldn't forget the commandment thou shalt not steal. He lost his job not because of the economy, but because he committed a theft," said Marion County Chief Trial Deputy David Wyser.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" last week, Montez said she told Smith not to proceed with the robbery because he is young and has so much life ahead of him.

"He told me he had to do this, that times are really bad," Montez said. "He was going to be homeless. He had no choice."

While Smith's attorney, Jack Crawford, said there is no excuse for his client's actions, he said the most recent robbery was motivated by a love for his family.

"He took $20 in the robbery. He could have taken more. He was trying to provide a birthday present of his 2-year-old daughter," Crawford said.

He said it is too early to negotiate a plea agreement with prosecutors. Smith is scheduled for a jury trial on Dec. 21.