Man pleads not guilty to June armed robbery on Lamore Drive

One of two men accused of the June 18 armed robbery on Lamore Drive appeared in Columbus Recorder’s Court Tuesday morning.

Tywon Ladell Walton, the 26-year-old defendant, pleaded not guilty to one count each of armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission and possession of a firearm a convicted felon. Police are still searching for the unidentified man who allegedly assisted Walton in the Lamore Drive incident authorities were called to June 18 around 1:05 p.m.

The victim told responding officers that was in his yard in the 2100 block when an armed man he knew as “Taylor” arrived to his Lamore Drive home in an SUV, exited the vehicle and confronted him about a woman. The gunman attacked the resident but didn’t cause any serious injuries, said Columbus Police Corp. Katina Williams.

“He slapped him in the face with his hand and pulled a silver and black pistol on him,” Williams testified. “Another individual got out (of the vehicle) as well.”

The men fled the scene with the victim’s white bag, which contained one $250 pair of Beats by Dre headphones and a $200 Beats by Dre bluetooth speaker. The weapon and stolen property were not recovered at the time of the preliminary hearing.

During the investigation, the victim located the Facebook profile he believed belonged to “Taylor,” Williams told the court.

Police said they used the date of birth listed on the profile to search the database of mugshots, and it lead them to Walton. They showed the victim a photo lineup including Walton’s mugshot, and the victim identified Walton as the armed robber who slapped him.

Authorities apprehended Walton on April 5 but had only obtained the nickname of the second suspect at the time of the hearing. Once they obtain that individual’s birth name, they will issue arrest warrants for armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, Williams confirmed.

Represented by attorney Stacey Jackson, Walton didn’t testify.

Judge Michael Cielinski denied the defendant bond for the single count of armed robbery but grants bonds totaling $25,000 on the remaining charges. He bound the case over to Superior Court.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Man pleads not guilty to June armed robbery on Lamore Drive."