Investigation of robbery leads to arrests of Muncie men
MUNCIE, Ind. — Two Muncie men have been accused of robbing a woman at gunpoint in her home on the city's northeast side.
The victim said she was also battered by the intruders who entered her house about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 11.
Arrested Sunday — on preliminary counts of armed robbery resulting in bodily injury — were Claven Nathaniel Jernigan and Dajuan Lamarr Pounds, both 22.
The woman told city police after her dog began barking and growling, she opened her bedroom door and was startled to encounter a masked man, carrying a flashlight and armed with a handgun.
After the man struck her with the gun, the woman said, a struggle ensued and she was able to remove the intruder's mask and recognized him to be Jernigan.
More: Report: Police found rolls of cash, mask, heroin in Muncie bank robbery suspects' car
She said she also recognized a second man in her house as Pounds, and said as she struggled with Jernigan, Pounds "came up and stomped on her face with his shoes."
The men fled from the house, the victim said, taking with them three iPhones, $5 in cash and a necklace and heart pendant the woman was wearing that contained a photo of her late grandmother.
According to an affidavit, the woman noted Facebook photos that she said showed Jernigan and Pounds "wearing the exact same clothes they had on when they robbed her."
Both were later released from the Delaware County Jail after posting $20,000 bonds. Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman's office will make the final decision on what formal charges might be filed.
Pounds was already set to stand trial March 26 on four charges filed against him last October in Delaware Circuit Court 5 — dealing in a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic drug, driving while intoxicated and driving while suspended.
The dealing charge is a Level 2 felony carrying up to 30 years in prison.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie men arrested in armed home invasion
