Six indicted on robbery charges

May 19, 1998|By AMY WALLAUER

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Four people charged with aggravated robbery in a January home invasion and two teens facing aggravated robbery charges in a foiled carjacking were indicted Tuesday by a Berkeley County grand jury.

Evan Sears, 20, of 605 State Circle, Martinsburg, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession of marijuana in connection with a Jan. 9 robbery at a Martinsburg apartment.

According to court documents, three men walked into Samuel Pennington's apartment at 489 Porter Ave., at about 8:40 p.m. One of the men said they were in the wrong apartment and they left.

Ten minutes later, the men came in through the back door and demanded money from Pennington and his guest, Timothy Stotler. The three men left with wallets, cash and video game systems.

LaVar Crawford, 21, of 110 S. Kentucky Ave., is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and possession with intent to deliver cocaine. Jonathan Crawford, 19, of Huntington, W.Va., and Marcia Whitehair, no age or address available, were charged with two counts of aggravated robbery.

Also indicted Tuesday in a separate incident were Lynis Nathaniel Ellerbe, 18, of Martinsburg, and Gary Colbert, 19, of Fort Washington, Md., who were charged with aggravated robbery and attempted kidnapping in a Jan. 14 incident. Ellerbe was also charged with wanton endangerment with a firearm.

According to court documents, Rahill Nawaz II, of Ranson, W.Va., was walking to his vehicle after visiting friends at about 1 p.m. at Berkeley Garden Apartments when he was approached by three men.

One man pointed a gun in his back while Nawaz was unlocking his car door, Nawaz told police, and told him to hand over the keys to his Toyota 4-Runner.

Two other men got into the vehicle and ordered Nawaz into the back seat, Nawaz told police. Nawaz pretended to get in, then turned and grabbed the muzzle of the gun. A struggle ensued and the armed man tried to fire several times, but the gun wouldn't discharge, documents said.

The two other men got out of the vehicle and began choking Nawaz, police alleged. Nawaz managed to get the loaded .22-caliber revolver, and ran back to his friend's apartment in building 308, the report said.

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