Charges of Armed Robbery, Assault, First Degree CSC, and More
Four Saginaw men charged in connection with a recent Bay City crime spree have all pled guilty, or are expected to plead guilty, to felonies.
According to police records, on the evening of January 14th, the four men broke into an apartment in Bay City that belonged to Marcus Smith. A woman who was present at the time testified in a prior preliminary hearing, saying that masked men had barged into the home. One of the men allegedly took her into a bathroom and raped her. She identified her assailant as 17-year-old Quay’von R. Brown.
On Wednesday, May 21st, Brown appeared in Bay County Circuit Court and pleaded no contest to charges of armed robbery and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of his plea bargain the prosecution agreed to drop an additional two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and single counts of larceny in a building, first-degree home invasion, felony firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Sammie L. Wright III, a 20-year-old resident of Saginaw and the second man to stand trial in connection with the crime, appeared in court on Thursday, May 29th. He also pled no contest to a charge of armed robbery as part of his plea bargain, and the prosecution dropped the charges of larceny in a building, first-degree home invasion, felony firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Smith, who also testified at the prior hearing, claimed that the masked men demanded money and drugs. Smith says he was able to get away and fled the area, seeking refuge in a neighbor’s home where he called 911. He says that he didn’t know that the woman who was raped was still inside his apartment. According to his testimony, he later discovered multiple items missing from his home, including two TV sets, marijuana, prescription pills and cash.
Four days later, on January 17th, the same four men allegedly accosted a woman named Lori Davis as she was backing out of her driveway in the evening. According to Davis’s testimony, two men approached her, asking for directions, when one pulled a long gun and pointed it at her. She says that she “laid on her car horn” and they took off running.
The four men were all arrested later that night, after officers saw them coming out of a house in the Bay City area. In interviews conducted with police after the arrests, each defendant admitted that he was at Smith’s house on the evening of January 14th, and Brown claimed that he did have sexual contact with a woman who was there.
Brown’s sentencing is scheduled for 8am on Monday, July 17th. Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 pm on Monday, July 21st.
With regard to the remaining two men charged, on Monday, June 2nd, Nashawn D. Lane, 18, followed suit and pled no contest to one count of armed robbery in exchange for the prosecution agreeing to drop all other charges. The final defendant, Antonio D. Griffin, 19, is scheduled to enter a plea before Bay County Chief Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt on June 16th. Lane and Wright are both scheduled for sentencing on Monday, July 21st.
Under Michigan law, armed robbery is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. It is a very serious crime. The charges cannot be deferred and probation is not allowed. If you have been charged with armed robbery you are going to need the help of an experienced attorney. Contact us immediately if you are facing firearms charges, we can help you.