Two Marines are accused of committing at least three armed robberies across Twentynine Palms Sunday and Monday nights.
Pfcs. Dustin Smiley, 19, and Randall Myrick, 18, were arrested Tuesday at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Both are assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. Smiley is an infantry assaultman and Myrick a mortarman, according to Marine officials. and Spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman confirmed both suspects are active Marines.
They two are linked to three robberies reported within a 24-hour period.
"As far as I know, they are not believed to be involved in other robberies," Bachman said.
Smiley of Fort Wayne, Ind., joined the Marines on June 1, 2015, said 1st Lt. Matthew Gregory, a public information officer with the 1st Marine Division. Myrick is from Laurel, Miss. and joined on July 14.
Gregory said he would not comment on the investigation, but said Marine officials are cooperating with the sheriff's department.
About 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a masked man entered a Motel 6 while armed with a handgun demanding money from the clerk. He received an undisclosed amount of money and fled in a car that was driven by a second person.
Later, about 9:30 p.m. Monday, a victim reported he was robbed while walking in the area of Aztec Avenue and Sunnyvale Drive.
That was followed by another call reporting a robbery at a Circle K store at Adobe and Two Mile roads, which is about a half-mile northwest of Aztec and Sunnyvale. An armed masked man demanded money while several witnesses were inside the store.
None of them were injured, according to the sheriff's department.
An investigation led investigators to an apartment in the 73-000 block of Two Mile. They later served search warrants on an apartment and barracks room at the base.
Officials found unspecified evidence that identified Smiley and Myrick as suspects. They were interviewed at the base before being taken into custody about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bachman would not comment on whether the gun came from the base.
Smiley was arrested on suspicion of committing all three thefts and Myrick is accused of driving the vehicle involved in the Motel 6 robbery.
Both men are being held in lieu of $100,000 bail – each at the Morongo Basin jail. They're scheduled to appear in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Thursday.
A conviction does not guarantee a Marine will be discharged and military action isn't likely to be discussed for a while, Gregory said.
"If anything happens, it's after all (criminal) investigation is completed," he said. "Everything is on a case-by-case basis."
It was at least the second time an active Marine was arrested this year.
On Feb. 27, Franklin Walker, 23, was arrested outside the Marine base on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and fleeing the scene of a crash in Yucca Valley.
A crash was reported on Highway 62 at Sage Avenue in Yucca Valley about 2 a.m. Feb. 27, according to the sheriff's department. Deputies found an abandoned 2015 Honda Civic that was inoperable and had its airbags deployed.
An investigation identified the driver as Walker, who was later detained outside the Marine base's front gate.
Investigators did not say how the suspect arrived at the base.
