Two men are facing charges of attempted armed robbery with threat of force after police say they threatened a woman with a gun that turned out to be a BB gun.
Willie Hayes and Demontez Jones were charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of attempted armed robbery with threat of force, both as repeat offenders. If convicted, each man faces up to 26 years in prison and/or up to $50,000 in fines. Jones was also charged with a single misdemeanor count of obstruction that carries a penalty of up to nine months in prison and/or up to $10,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint, Hayes and Jones went to a woman’s house and demanded that she return money to Hayes. He pulled up the front of his shirt to display a handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants and told the woman he would shoot her if she didn’t give him the money. When the woman said she was calling 911, Hayes and Jones exited the residence before getting into an SUV.
Police say Hayes had given the woman pills to sell, but when she realized they were fake, she threw them away. Officers located the SUV with both men inside. Hayes was taken into custody, but Jones attempted to flee, telling police he had to urinate. He was apprehended after a short foot chase.
The gun used to threaten the woman was located in the vehicle and was identified as a BB gun, the complaint continues. Hayes disagreed with the attempted armed robbery charge since the gun wasn’t real, and Jones said the woman pointed a gun at them. Jones also told police he ran because he had warrants, but no warrants were listed for him.
Jones was assigned a $1,000 cash bond and will be back in court April 27 for his preliminary hearing. It is unclear based on online records if Jones remains in the Racine County Jail. Hayes remains in the Racine County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond and will next be in court on April 27 for his preliminary hearing.
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