CENTRALIA — Centralia Police have arrested a 29-year-old Centralia woman in connection with the Sunday armed robberies of Hunan House and Lincoln Liquor.
(Source: CPD)
According to Centralia Police Chief Brian Atchison, Ernestine Fields was arrested Monday and charged with two counts armed robbery.
Fields is the second person arrested in connection with Sunday armed robberies. On Sunday police arrested 18-year-old Dazhai Brumfield, of Columbus, Ohio, and formerly of Centralia, for alleged armed robbery and aggravated battery with a weapon.
Police responded around 9 o’clock Sunday night to the Hunan House restaurant on a report two black females and two black males entered and started ordering food, when one of the male suspects displayed a handgun and demanded money.
They reportedly fled the scene on foot, but their direction of travel was unknown. The restaurant was scheduled to close for the evening at 9:30 p.m.
The second report came in around 9:30 p.m. from Lincoln Liquor in the 730 block of Broadway in Centralia.
Reports say a single black male entered the store and displayed a handgun before demanding money. He reportedly struck an employee in the head with the gun before fleeing the store.
(Source: CPD)
Brumfield was initially arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery two females in an apartment complex parking lot around 11:30 Sunday night.
The victim in that incident indicated that a short time later a different black male and a black female were walking in the area of the incident, when the black male threatened the victim with a gun and then fled on foot.
Brumfield was also arrested in connection with the October 23rd armed robbery of Huck’s Convenience Store in Centralia.
Both Brumfield and Fields remain in the Marion County Jail. He was formally charged in court Tuesday morning with three Class X felony counts of armed robbery and and misdemeanor aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She was formally charged with two Class X felony counts armed robbery.
Bail for Brumfield has been set at $250,000 and he’s scheduled for a January 9 preliminary hearing with his court appointed attorney.
Bail for Fields has been set at $50,000 and she’s scheduled for a January 11 preliminary hearing with her court appointed attorney.
Investigations into the robberies continue.