Four arrested in wave of armed robberies

Local law enforcement recently arrested four young men associated with a rash of armed robberies which took place in Blytheville over the past few days.

On Oct. 13, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Blytheville Police officers were called to Jordan's Kwik Stop on North Hollywood in reference to an aggravated robbery. Upon officers' arrival, it was learned that a black male, wearing all black and a black face mask, entered the store with a handgun. Officers made contact with employees of the store and witnesses who were on the property. They all gave detailed statements of the incident.

Video was obtained showing the masked offender approach the front of the store and immediately point a gun toward a customer parked at the gas pumps. When the offender's attempt to rob them was unsuccessful, he entered the store, pointed the gun at employees and demanded money. The witnesses and employees hid and the offender left the store without taking anything. He removed his mask as he fled the area, running past the first victim, who could clearly see the offender and recognized him. As the offender fled, he fired his weapon into the air. He was identified as 22-year-old Cleveland Young Jr.

Dameon Davis

On Monday, Young was arrested per warrant and denied any involvement in the incident. Young was taken to the Mississippi County Sheriff's Office to await arraignment. On Wednesday, he was arraigned in Blytheville District Court with Judge Shannon Langston finding probable cause and setting bond at $125,000.

UPDATE: Charges were not formally filed against Young, based on insufficient evidence.

On Tuesday, at approximately 8:10 p.m., the BPD responded to a call regarding aggravated robbery of Jordan's Quick Stop on West Main. When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the store employees, who advised that a black male wearing a white hoodie, dark ball cap and dark pants entered the store, armed with a handgun and demanding money. The offender reached into the register and removed money, then fled from the store. The employees followed him out of the store, and he turned toward them, firing his weapon one time at them, with the bullet striking the ground.

Quintrell Richardson

Officers who responded to the area saw him jump a fence in the 1300 block of West Main, and other officers and civilian witnesses saw him in the 1600 block of Ash. The suspect was chased for several blocks, then lost, but officers soon located evidence and a large amount of money believed to be taken during the robbery.

At approximately 10:15 p.m. on the same night, the police department received a call from employees of Cherry Tree on Chickasawba, who said they had just been robbed at gunpoint. When officers arrived, they made contact with employees, who described a young black male matching the description given from the Quick Stop robbery. They said he came into the store, pointed a gun at them, and demanded money. He left the store with approximately $200 in cash and ran north toward the Hearn Street area.

While still investigating the previous two robberies, the police department received the third armed robbery call of the night, this time from the Dodge Store on South Division. Employees gave the same suspect description, said he had robbed them at gunpoint and exited from the back of the store.

Sgt. Kyle Lively, who responded to the area, saw a blue vehicle that he knew belonged to Quintrell Richardson, and that he had recognized in the area of the previous robbery. Lively conducted a traffic stop and observed a passenger taking off a dark-colored jacket. As he spoke with the occupants, Lively could clearly see money on the floorboard of the vehicle, and detained all three suspects.

Two of the individuals gave false names to the officers. The driver was identified by police to be 18-year-old Quintrell Richardson, and the passengers as 18-year-old Dameon Davis and a 16-year-old from Jackson, Tenn. All three were taken into custody and evidence linking them to the robberies was collected. Richardson and Davis will be arraigned in district court on Thursday, and the juvenile will be turned over to juvenile authorities.

sharris@blythevillecourier.com