The men police have accused of three Bessemer City robberies are suspects in five other robberies, including two cases in which gunshots were fired. Police say the suspects have been getting braver and more violent since the crime spree began last month.
Home invasions and robberies in Bessemer City sparked the streak that led to robberies at a tattoo parlor, two barber shops and other businesses in Kings Mountain and Gastonia, police said. “They were getting more and more violent so it’s good that we put a stop to it,” Gastonia Sgt. Jimmy Arndt said.
Donnovan Jerome Huskey Jr., 20, of Heather Court, Bessemer City, was arrested Tuesday morning. He faces charges in a home invasion Monday night on 10th Street in Bessemer City. Police also accused 18-year-old Martavious Adams, of 1205 Mountain Ave., Gastonia, in the home invasion. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon.
Police say the suspects started in Bessemer City, robbing and beating men at two houses just blocks apart. Then, investigators say, they spread out to Gastonia and Kings Mountain, hitting businesses.
Police allege the two men robbed:
- Monroe’s Mini Mart at 44 Osceola St., Gastonia
- Two barber shops, one in Shelby and one at 2310 Crescent Lane, Gastonia
- A tattoo parlor on Franklin Boulevard
- Another business in Kings Mountain.
Shots were fired during the robberies at the tattoo parlor, where nine people were robbed, and at the general store on Osceola Street, Arndt said. The owner of the barber shop on Crescent Street was also beaten by two men, police said.
Arrest records accuse Huskey and Adams of robbing the Crescent Street barber shop on Friday while four people were there. Warrants say they took $600 in cash from the business and the people inside. Police allege Huskey beat the owner with a pair of brass knuckles and kicked him. The owner, Johntay Mintz, needed immediate medical attention and stitches, according to arrest records.
Gastonia Police began working with Bessemer City early in the investigation, suspecting the cases were connected, Arndt said. But it wasn’t until Monday night’s burglary at 223 N. 10th St., Bessemer City, that police got a break. “It’s what led to some information that got us to where we needed,” Arndt said.
Police are still investigating. Huskey was jailed on a $650,000 secured bond. Adams was given a $1.5 million secured bond.
You can reach reporter Lauren Baheri at 704-869-1842 or Twitter.com/lbaheri.