Two men with a black ski mask, a bag of marijuana and a handgun remained in jail this morning after being arrested Wednesday on Highway 82 West, west of the Tennessee-Tombigbee bridge.
Police are investigating whether Demetris Nash and Selvin Richardson, both 21, are responsible for a rash of recent masked burglaries, said Columbus Police Public Information Officer Terrie Songer.
A citizen called 911 at 7:06 p.m. and reported seeing one of two men putting on a ski mask while sitting in a black Ford Focus parked behind the Donut Factory near Leigh Mall. They left the area without incident, driving toward the bypass.
Officers pulled the vehicle over on Highway 82 West and found a bag of marijuana on the middle console in plain view and a silver .22 caliber revolver, Songer said. They found the ski mask on the back seat.
Nash, of 601 Alabama St., had an outstanding warrant for missing a scheduled court hearing on previous charges of drug possession. He was charged with contempt of court.
Richardson, of 612 N. Browder, was charged with possession of more than an ounce of marijuana.
Police could add other charges to the misdemeanors pending the outcome of the investigation.
At least five robberies fitting a pattern of men wearing ski masks and wielding a pistol were reported in Columbus and Lowndes County in July. The most recent was reported July 24, when about 10 people said they were robbed while partying at an apartment at 221 Fourth St. N. shortly after 4 a.m.
Before that, a clerk at the Prairie Pointe Chevron in Lowndes County was robbed and pistol-whipped by a masked man on July 17 at about 9:15 p.m. The victim was assaulted after he stepped outside to take out the trash, a co-worker said.
Two more robberies by masked men were reported to Columbus police July 11.
Three masked men robbed a 45-year-old man as he sat on the porch at 1127 15th St. N. at about 1:45 a.m. One of the suspects used a pistol to hit the man in the face, splitting his lip.
About four hours later, two masked men robbed and pistol-whipped a man after kicking in the door of room 101 at the Economy Inn at 2206 Main St., where the victim was staying with a woman.
Columbus police are also seeking two men for a July 8 armed robbery at Mike”s Lounge at 716 Alabama St.
The men, who were not masked, approached a woman as she was parking her vehicle in the rear parking lot at 10:36 p.m. The suspects, one of whom was armed with a silver revolver, stole her cell phone and fled the scene after she told them she had no money.
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