Duo charged with armed robbery, kidnapping after reportedly swindling woman online
Oct. 27—Two Aiken County men were arrested Monday in connection to the armed robbery and kidnapping of a 25-year-old Columbia woman.
Desmond Marquis Bates, 22, of Warrenville, is charged with armed robbery, kidnapping, giving false information to law enforcement and drug possession.
Eugene Trey Simmons III, 22, of Aiken, is charged with armed robbery, kidnapping, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, failure to comply with lawful direction of police and drug possession.
The same duo was arrested in May 2017 and charged with disturbing schools after Simmons reportedly pulled a pistol from his pocket during a dispute with an Aiken High student in the front parking lot of the school, according to an Aiken Standard article on May 23, 2017.
Simmons was charged with disturbing schools, trespassing and failure to comply with a public safety officer. Bates was charged with disturbing schools.
Toby Terrell Fuewell, 20, who was arrested Monday in connection to a July fatal shooting, was also listed as a suspect in Monday's incident.
Fuewell was wanted in connection to the July 7 shooting death of 22-year-old Jamar Bush.
A dog sale gone wrong
Around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Aiken Public Safety officers responded to Aldrich and Alfred Streets in reference to a man with a gun.
Once officers arrived, dispatch notified them that an armed robbery had just occurred; the suspects were two Black males that matched the description given by the previous caller, according to an incident report obtained from the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
Officers patrolled the area and were able to locate the suspects' vehicle traveling north on University Parkway. While attempting to make a traffic stop, two of the three occupants "jumped out of the vehicle and began to run away," according to the report.
All three suspects were caught and placed under arrest.
The victim of the armed robbery told police she was messaging with someone online regarding poodle puppies; the Facebook account was identified as belonging to Bates, according to the report.
The victim agreed to purchase a puppy from the suspect for $950 and he told her to meet him at 1207 Aldrich St., she told police. When she arrived, Bates began attempting to sell her three types of marijuana.
"The males in the vehicle then told [the victim] to get inside the vehicle" before one of the passengers "put a pistol to the back of [the victim's] neck and the driver reached in [the victim's] pocket and took her $950," according to the report.
