Three men, one teen arrested for armed robbery
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Denzel Marshem Howard was charged in the armed robbery of a Jenkins County resident and the April 8 home invasion.

Four people, including a teenager, have been charged in connection with two armed robberies that occurred here last week.

Charged by the Millen Police Department (MPD) in the April 8 home invasion of a South Gray Street residence in Millen are Thomas Jefferson Bedford Jr., Denzel Marshem Howard and Chodarrol Reynolds, 16, who law enforcement is seeking to charge as an adult.

Bedford is charged with possession of cocaine and drug-related objects, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and aggravated assault. Howard and Reynolds have each been charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and aggravated assault.

Howard, Reynolds and Alvin Lassiter III also face charges by the Jenkins County Sheriff's Department of armed robbery, simple battery and criminal trespass in connection with the April 7 robbery of a Jenkins County resident.

A MPD report indicates that the three black males entered the Gray Street residence around 11:14 p.m. April 8 armed with two pistols and a rifle. A male occupant of the house was injured and robbed of his wallet, which was later found near the scene of the crime.

Thomas Jefferson Bedford Jr. was charged in the April 8 home invasion.

Bedford was picked up by law enforcement near the scene. Howard, Lassiter and Reynolds were apprehended April 9 based upon information received during the course of investigations by the MPD and sheriff's department.

The clothing worn by the suspects and the firearms used in the home invasion were found near the scene of the crime with the assistance of a special explosives detection canine from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. Others assisting the MPD with the investigation were the District Attorney's Office, Jenkins County Sheriff's Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Jenkins County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to a call for assistance from a Jenkins County resident at approximately 2 p.m. April 7. He told deputies that he was approached by two black males as he was getting out of his vehicle in front of his home. The suspects grabbed him, threw him to the ground and took his wallet. They were observed by the victim running toward Kent Road.

Chodarrol Reynolds, 16, was charged in the armed robbery of a Jenkins County resident and the April 8 home invasion.

Further investigation by the sheriff's department produced witnesses who reported observing a suspicious light blue car, driven by a black male, in the area at the time of the incident. A vehicle matching that description was later identified during the MPD's investigation of the home invasion.

This vehicle was observed Wednesday, April 9, by a sheriff's department deputy as it traveled on U.S. Highway 25 South. With assistance from the Georgia State Patrol and Bulloch County Sheriff's Department, the vehicle was stopped, and the occupants were apprehended.

(Editor's Note: Under the Georgia Open Records Act, the name of juveniles may be disclosed if they are charged with any one of 25 felony crimes, including armed robbery and aggravated assault.)

Alvin Lassiter III faces charges in the armed robbery of a county resident.