MARION COUNTY — Charges against a 19-year-old Columbus, Ohio man accused with a string of armed robberies in Centralia last year were dismissed today in Marion County court.

Dazhai Brumfield, of Columbus, Ohio, and formerly of Centralia, was facing three counts Class X armed robbery and one count misdemeanor aggravated battery with a weapon.

Brumfield was arrested following an investigation into the December 17 armed robberies of Hunan House Restaurant and Lincoln Liquors, and the October 23rd armed robbery of Huck’s Convenience Store, all in Centralia.

In addition to Brumfield, two females – Ernestine Fields and Alexis Sanders, were arrested in connection with the December robberies. Sanders has been sentenced to time served after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft in exchange for armed robbery charges being dismissed.

Fields is still facing two Class X charges of armed robbery and is next due in court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing.

According to police reports, on December 17, 2017, two black males and a black female entered the Hunan House restaurant at about 9 p.m. and started ordering food, when one of the male suspects displayed a handgun and demanded money.

When the employee did not immediately respond, the male suspect struck her in the head with the handgun, then took an undetermined amount of money and the three then fled on foot.

Approximately 30 minutes later, Centralia Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at Lincoln Liquors, 731 E. Broadway. The victim in this incident indicated that two black males and a black female entered the store and one of the males produced a handgun and demanded money.

The employee was then struck in the head with a handgun. After the employee opened the register, the suspects took an undetermined amount of money and fled the scene on foot.