Two facing charges over Monday robbery

Published 8:00 pm Friday, August 10, 2012

Two men arrested in Louisiana on robbery charges will also be charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred early this week in Lincoln County, authorities said.

     Phillip R. McNulty, 23, of 1002 Van Norman Curve, McComb, and O’Darius D. Smith, 23, 1048 Essie Lane, Summit, were both arrested earlier this week in Vermillion Parish by the parish sheriff’s department, Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said.

     McNulty and Smith were both charged by Vermillion Parish authorities with robbery and will be charged in Lincoln County with armed robbery, Rushing said. The Lincoln County charges stem from an incident around 1 a.m. Monday in which a homeowner on Denton Trail was robbed of a wallet at gunpoint in his own driveway.

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     Based on credit card use and allegedly stolen property recovered from a silver Chrysler Pacifica driven by the suspects, Rushing said he’s confident the two men are linked to the Lincoln County robbery. Louisiana law enforcement also recovered a gun from the suspects, Rushing said.

     Rushing’s office was contacted Wednesday by Vermillion Parish authorities, but Rushing could not say when McNulty and Smith were actually arrested.

     For the immediate present, the two men will remain in custody in Louisiana.

     “They will stay down there until they either make bond or answer their charges, at which point they will be extradited here,” Rushing said.

     The information available also provides a pretty clear picture of the movement of the suspects following the Monday morning robbery, Rushing said.

     Rushing said the two men appear unconnected to a Sunday night incident on Kraner Lane, based on the information available now.

     Sunday evening, a mother and daughter reported being approached by a white van, possibly with a Copiah County tag. The driver reportedly began to ask them where they lived and similar questions.

     “The vehicle description didn’t match up,” Rushing said.

     Police Chief Pap Henderson confirmed he had no information to report on the Kraner Lane incident. Henderson said no similar incidents have occurred.

     “We haven’t had another one like that,” the chief said.