An Itta Bena man and juvenile have been charged with the Saturday night armed robbery of a Mississippi Valley State University student on campus.
Levi “Lil’ Man” Harper Jr., 18, 106 N. Al Thomas Circle, was arrested Monday night, and Marvin Adams, 16, whose address was unavailable, was arrested Tuesday. Harper was denied bond and remained in the Leflore County Jail this morning. Adams, who is being charged as an adult, was released on bond.
Mississippi Valley State University Police Chief Robert Sanders says Harper and Adams walked onto the campus and approached a student who was standing outside the new men’s dormitory around 9:30 p.m.
According to Sanders, the pair approached the student, and Harper asked the student if he could use his cellphone.
The student cooperated and handed over the phone, but when Harper and Adams started to walk off with it, the student gave chase. At that point, one of the men “pointed to him as if he had a weapon,” Sanders said.
The student was able to provide police with a good description of both suspects, the chief said.
With the help of Itta Bena Police Department Investigator Dwight McCaskill and Lt. Alex Granderson, the pair were quickly identified.
This is the second armed robbery to occur on the Itta Bena campus in the past two weeks.
In that case, Itta Bena residents Markevis Swinney, 17, 114 Kennedy Drive; Derrick Eugene Ross, 18, 103 Morgan Lane; and Alandric Jackson, 18, 227 Morris St., were charged with robbing a student in the Ratcliff Residence Hall at gunpoint on Oct. 9.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden @gwcommonwealth.com.
