By Joe Johnson
A suspect in two Athens robberies that occurred over three years ago was arrested on Monday.
The first incident occurred o Sept. 17, 2016 at a home on Spring Valley Road.
According to an Athens-Clarke County police report, the 43-year-old male victim said that his sister asked him to go to that address, and upon arrival a hard object was placed at the back of his head by someone who told him to get on the ground. The suspect then removed truck keys, a phone a wallet and $970 cash from his pockets. The suspect drove off in an SUV that had two other occupants, according to the report.
The police report also listed marijuana as being among the stolen items
Detectives who investigated eventually identified one of the suspects as 36-year-old Demarious Amone Smith, who at the time lived on Reed Street in Athens of Reed Street. They obtained warrants charging Smith with armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Two months after the Spring Valley Road incident, on Nv. 4, 2016, Smith was named as the suspect in a strong-arm robbery that occurred at the Gaines School Shoppes strip mall.
The 23-year-old victim reportedly told police he had just withdrawn $1,000 from an ATM when Smith grabbed his neck from behind with both arms and squeezed until he almost lost consciousness.
The victim told officers that Smith pulled money from his pocket during the attack, according to a police report.
Smith was arrested Monday by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office on warrants for both robberies and one that charged him with failure to register as a sex offender.
Smith, 39, was booked into jail with an address in Oglethorpe County community of Crawford.Crawford.
A Magistrate Court judge denied him bond at a hearing on Tuesday.