Five suspects are behind bars after police say they tried to rob a Fayetteville home at gunpoint by pretending to be stranded motorists.
Michael Buchanan, Shitika Crudip, Brandy Smith, Aaron Walton and LaDerrick Watts were arrested Thursday on suspicion of aggravated residential burglary. Buchanan, Crudip and Watts remained Friday in the Washington County Detention Center on $25,000 bond.
Walton remains in jail on $250,000 bond. Smith was released Thursday from the detention center without bond.
Police said Crudup and Smith knocked on the door of a home at 1791 N. Pine Crest Ave. in Fayetteville and asked to use a phone because their vehicle was broken down. While using the phone, there was another knock at the door, according to a preliminary report from the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
When a homeowner answered the door, he saw two black men with their faces covered. The men tried to force their way into the home while one of them brandished a handgun, the preliminary report states.
The alleged victim forced the door closed and called police. The suspects who had been trying to gain entry fled the scene and were later arrested, police said.
When officers responded, they saw Buchanan arrive to pick up Crudup and Smith. Buchanan and Smith told police they planned to rob the house and steal marijuana. They identified the two men who tried to break in, allowing police to track them down, according to the preliminary report.
Police confiscated DNA, ammunition, closed-circuit television surveillance, marijuana and a safe, the report states.
