3 arrested in connection with armed robbery, drug deal

Bloomington police arrested three men in connection with the reported March 16 armed robbery of a northside apartment.

Keith Bunton, 20, Marquese Steward, 21, and Darvon Hill, 20, were arrested Thursday following interviews with police. As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the three remained in custody at the Monroe County Jail facing preliminary charges of armed robbery.

Bond is set at $20,000 surety and $500 cash for Bunton and Hill. Steward’s bond is set at $40,000 surety and $500 cash.

A 19-year-old woman was sitting in her apartment at about 2 a.m. March 16 when a group of men, at least one of them reportedly wielding a hand gun, entered her apartment and took an undisclosed amount of cash, the woman told police following the incident.

Further investigation by BPD detectives revealed the alleged robbery took place following a drug transaction inside the apartment, Lt. Steve Kellams said.

An individual in the apartment was finishing up a sale of marijuana, he said, when the group of men allegedly entered the apartment and stole cash and drugs.

The three men were arrested in Bloomington, Kellams said. Police conducted interviews with the suspects, during which Bunton admitted to participating in robbery while armed.

Police obtained a warrant to search Hill’s residence on the 1300 block of West Kirkwood Avenue following the incident, Kellams said.

The search produced items used in the robbery, including a BB gun pistol and ski masks.

— Kirsten Clark