Two teenagers appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Wednesday in connection with a marijuana robbery in Vancouver’s Image neighborhood in which the teenage victim was punched and attacked with a garden scythe.
Antonio J. Carter, 17, and Melvin J. Bolds, 18, face charges of first-degree robbery. Carter also is accused of first-degree assault. Under state law, 16- and 17-year-olds facing those felony charges are remanded to adult court.
They’re scheduled to be arraigned on the charges July 30.
Judge David Gregerson held Carter and Bolds on $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. Deputy Prosecutor Randy St. Clair said he requested a higher bail amount for Carter due to Carter’s extensive felony history.
Gregerson appointed Vancouver attorney Louis Byrd Jr. to defend Carter and Vancouver attorney Ed Dunkerly to represent Bolds.
Carter and Bolds are among five suspects who coordinated the robbery, according to a court affidavit.
The victim agreed to meet with an acquaintance who planned to facilitate a drug deal between the victim and the five suspects. The victim agreed to sell one-half of an ounce of marijuana for $150 to the five suspects, according to the affidavit.
When the suspects arrived at a residence near Northeast 38th Circle and Northeast 132nd Avenue, one of the suspects asked to see the marijuana that was up for sale. Another suspect then picked up the marijuana and said, “Thanks for the free weed,” according to the affidavit. Three of the suspects, including Bolds, punched the victim. Meanwhile, Carter allegedly armed himself with a scythe and struck the victim in the head with the garden tool, causing a laceration on the back of his head and his left ear canal, the affidavit said.
He was hospitalized but did not appear to need stitches, according to Vancouver police.
All of the suspects then fled from police, the affidavit says.
The robbery was reported to 911 at 5:48 p.m. Tuesday. Police dogs were sent out to track down people who ran from the scene. Carter and Bolds were apprehended.
The other three suspects have not been arrested, said Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp. The case remains under investigation, she said.
