Demarkis Leroy Howell and Keshon Lee, from Detroit and Farrell respectively, have been arrested for allegedly tying up, beating, and robbing a man in Union Township. A third suspect remains at large. The victim suffered injuries and the two arrested individuals are facing multiple charges. Meadville Tribune reported
Man from Detroit and Parolee from Farrell Accused of Brutal Robbery
UNION TOWNSHIP, Lawrence County — A man from Detroit and a parolee from Farrell are facing charges after allegedly tying up a man, assaulting him with an assault rifle, and robbing him. The incident took place in Union Township and a third suspect involved is still at large.
Demarkis Leroy Howell, 25, from Detroit, and Keshon Lee, 26, from Farrell, were arrested by Union Township police following the reported holdup on Friday afternoon. The incident occurred in the 300 block of Miller Avenue.
According to criminal complaints filed against both men, a woman flagged down the police on Friday afternoon. She informed them that she had received a distressing phone call from a family member who urgently needed $5,000. During the call, she could hear a man in the background screaming for the money.
The woman received another call from the man, inquiring if she had obtained the money. The man in the background warned her that she had 25 minutes to comply. Concerned for her family member’s safety, the woman promptly reported the incident to the police.
Law enforcement officers from multiple departments, along with the Lawrence County Critical Incident Response Team, swiftly responded to the situation. They surrounded the Miller Avenue house from which the distressing call had originated and ordered everyone inside to come out. Howell and Lee were apprehended during the operation.
The victim, who had sustained a gash on his head, later visited the police station to provide a statement. He recounted the terrifying ordeal, explaining that he was at home with two women when Lee and an unidentified man entered his house carrying AK-47 assault rifles. The intruders proceeded to tie his feet together and his hands behind his back while holding a gun to his head, according to the complaints.
In his statement, the victim revealed that he called his family member and requested money. At that moment, a third man identified as Howell entered the house. Howell proceeded to repeatedly strike the victim on the head with the rifle, causing approximately six blows, as stated in the report. Consequently, the victim sustained a cut on the top of his head and bruises on his shoulders.
One of the women present in the house accompanied the unidentified attacker to a nearby store to meet the victim’s family member, who had $1,360 in a bank envelope, according to the report. Meanwhile, Lee ordered the victim and the unidentified male to go to a sporting goods store and attempt to sell the victim’s guns. However, the store owner declined to purchase the firearms.
While returning to the Miller Avenue house, the unidentified male received a call informing him that the police were at the location. He immediately exited the vehicle, taking the victim’s guns with him, and fled on foot. The identity of this individual has not yet been disclosed.
Both Lee and Howell are now facing charges of aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, possession of a prohibited firearm, and unlawful restraint. They were arraigned by District Judge Melissa A. Amodie, who ordered them to be held in the Lawrence County jail on $100,000 bond each. Lee, however, was later released on bail.
Prior to this incident, Lee had been on probation after being sentenced to one to three years in prison on December 5 of last year. He had pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver controlled substances and had been granted an early parole.
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