A Kent man and a Renton man each pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning in Kent to first-degree robbery charges in connection with an alleged drug deal gone bad Jan. 15 near a Kent apartment complex.
The two were among three or four men who reportedly stole marijuana from a man who lived at an East Hill apartment complex in the 11300 block of Southeast Kent-Kangley Road.
Robert T. Sims, 18, of Kent, and Carl DaWayne Goodwin Jr., 22, of Renton, each pleaded not guilty to a first-degree robbery charge at their arraignments at King County Superior Court in Kent, according to an e-mail from Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Sims was released on personal recognizance Tuesday afternoon by a judge, and was ordered to have no contact with the Kent apartment resident, witnesses, co-defendants, or the apartment complex. Sims is not permitted to have weapons, must stay in school and have no further law violations. Bail had been set at $20,000 for Sims, after prosecutors filed charges Jan. 21.
Goodwin remained in custody Wednesday at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent in lieu of $115,000 bail.
Sims and Goodwin are scheduled to return to court Feb. 9 when a trial date could be set or attorneys from either side could ask for more time to prepare the cases.
Prosecutors also have charged a 17-year-old male teen with second-degree robbery in King County Juvenile Court in connection with the East Hill robbery. The teen is being held at a juvenile detention center in Seattle. He faces a hearing Feb. 8 before a judge to determine whether he should be prosecuted as an adult, Donohoe said.
Kent detectives have talked to a fourth person who also might have played a role in the incident, said Sgt. Bob Burwell in a phone interview Wednesday. Burwell said what, if any role, that person played during the robbery remains under investigation.
According to charging papers, the apartment resident had agreed to meet the men to sell them drugs.
Inside the apartment, Goodwin reportedly pointed a handgun at the resident and took cash and marijuana from him before he fled the apartment.
The apartment resident then chased Goodwin on foot. Goodwin reportedly turned around and fired shots him. Not hit by the shots, the apartment resident continued to chase Goodwin, and fired a shot from a shotgun into the air in an effort to get Goodwin to stop running, according to reports. Goodwin kept running and was later caught by Kent Police. Police found Goodwin carrying a plastic bag with 90 grams of marijuana.
The apartment resident spotted Sims, yelled at him to stop, which Sims did, and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. Sims told detectives that he played the role of a lookout during the incident and did not enter the apartment unit with Goodwin.
Sims has no prior record.
According to charging papers, Goodwin has prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver cocaine in 2006 and 2007 and failure to appear in court Jan. 7 on a pending drug matter. Goodwin also has juvenile convictions for possession of marijuana in 2005, fourth-degree assault in 2002 and 2004, obstruction in 2002, second-degree robbery in 2002, third-degree theft in 2002 and first-degree theft in 2001.
The Jan. 15 incident shut down Kent-Kangley for a period of time, and also resulted in the temporary lockdown of three adjacent public schools: Daniel Elementary, the Kent Phoenix Academy and Kent-Meridian High School.
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