Armed Suspects Steal Man’s Shoes on Frisco Trail

An Alma man and a homeless man were arrested in Fayetteville early Wednesday morning after they allegedly attacked a man on Frisco Trail and stole his shoes.

Mickey Neighbors, 21, of Alma, and Marquis Simmons, 20, were arrested in connection with aggravated robbery, theft of property, and loitering just after 1 a.m. on North Park Avenue. Simmons was also charged with a weapons charge.

A Fayetteville police officer spotted Neighbors and Simmons running south on Wilson Avenue from Maple Street, according to a police report. The report states Neighbors was carrying a pair of size 12 Adidas shoes valued at $100. Simmons was carrying a red backpack and appeared to be concealing something under his shirt, according to the report.

The officer parked near Wilson Park and approached the men on foot, ordering them to stop, but they turned and went into the park. Simmons removed the concealed object from his shirt and tossed it in the bushes, according to the officer.

“They were trying to hide stuff from them and actually tried to ditch some property when he walked up on them,” Corporal Dan Montgomery said.

Simmons claimed it was a cell phone he’d stolen from his girlfriend after a fight, the report states.

The officer made the men sit on the curb while another officer arrived to help search the bushes.

They later found a Taurus .38 special pistol allegedly belonging to Simmons.

Meanwhile, another officer had been dispatched to an assault and armed robbery at Maple Street and the Trail Crossing, the report states. The victim told police that two men attacked him on the trail, hit him in the face and knocked him out. When the victim woke up, he claims he saw a white man removing his shoes, according to the report.

Police said trail violence is uncommon and added they try to patrol the trails as much as they can.

“Depending on the calls and the number of officers that are in the street. It’s just not practical having somebody just doing trails,” Montgomery said.

The report also states the victim claimed a black man pointed a gun in his face and told him not to talk.

Simmons later admitted to the robbery, according to police. Simmons stated the incident happened after the victim ran into them on the trail.

Simmons and Neighbors remain in the Washington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

Most Fayetteville trail users said they feel safe on the trails. However, Sarah Meyers said she tries to walk in a group if it’s late at night.

“Unless it’s a very dark, shaded area where I can’t really see around me, sometimes I get a little scared but usually I’m with other people, I’m not really walking alone, that’s not very smart,” Sarah Meyers said.

Kevin Jones, who walks the trails often, said, “They are much less likely to pick on two people and watch your back.”