Three Springfield men have been arrested on armed robbery charges.
Deputies arrested Ashton Rashad Wallace, 21, of Springfield, who was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a pistol during the commission of a crime, pointing a gun at another and theft by receiving stolen property; Peter Johnson III, 19, of Springfield, who was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault; Keion Latroy Chambers, 21, of Springfield who was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and obstruction.
The men were arrested in the early morning hours Tuesday in the Westwood Heights area.
Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator Don White said two of the men were committing the robbery when they were interrupted by a deputy in the area.
White said deputies patrolling the Westwood Heights subdivision about 12:45 a.m. spotted a gold car stopped on the side of Westwood Drive and two people in a yard.
The driver of the parked car spotted the deputy, honked the car’s horn and then tried to leave.
That car was stopped and the driver identified and released.
The deputy then returned to the area where the males had been seen in the yard and the victims reported they had been held at gunpoint.
Deputies placed a lookout for the car and occupants. Springfield police officers were able to spot the vehicle and conduct a traffic stop.
Deputies arrested the three and found a 9 mm handgun in the car that matched the victims’ description. The handgun was reported stolen out of Garden City on Monday.