JUWAN GABRIEL BEARD Law enforcement officials apprehended suspects in two robberies that took place recently in Lincoln County.

Two men from Wrens and a Lincolnton woman were arrested less than 24 hours after they allegedly robbed Farmers & Merchants Bank on Wednesday, March 14.

Shannon Natasha Lazenby, 27; Juwan Gabriel Beard, 19; and Anthony Lawayne Emetu, 25, have been charged with one count each of armed robbery. Emetu faces an additional charge of fleeing and attempting to elude an officer.

After robbing the bank at 2:41 p.m., Beard and Emetu, both armed with handguns, were spotted leaving the scene in a white Pontiac Grand Prix. The Lincolnton Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office gave chase, losing sight of the vehicle as the officers proceeded through the intersection of Petersburg Road and the McCormick Highway.

While traveling south on Old Petersburg Road, the suspects either accidentally or intentionally drove their vehicle through a copse of trees and bushes into a field which served to hide them from the approaching officers. After passing the field and turning onto the Augusta Highway, heading toward Columbia County, the officers received word that the suspects' car had been located on Old Petersburg Road.

ANTHONY L. EMETU At this point, a perimeter was established around the area of the abandoned vehicle, utilizing personnel from the police department, the sheriff's office, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Columbia County also brought in their K-9 units to assist in tracking Beard and Emetu, while two GSP helicopters from Athens and Thomson attempted to locate the suspects from the air.

The men, however, had fled the scene in a blue Mercury Marquis, belonging to Emetu. The car had been stashed at Lazenby's residence near Old Petersburg Road.

Although the pair was not apprehended at this time, law enforcement officials did recover the money which was found in a manila envelope lying in the woods.

According to Gary Nicholson, special agent in charge of the Thomson Office of the GBI, "Through our investigation, we were led to Wrens where we were able to identify all three suspects. At about 7 p.m., we searched the residence of Mr. Emetu - we recovered the Mercury Marquis but were unable to locate the suspect. Shortly thereafter, we found Mr. Beard in the vicinity and took him into custody without incident.

SHANNON N. LAZENBY "We continued to search throughout the night, following leads to Louisville and then Augusta," said Nicholson. "At about 2 p.m. the next day, Mr. Emetu turned himself in to authorities at a shopping center on the Gordon Highway in Augusta."

Assisting with the investigation in Wrens, Louisville, and Augusta were the S.W.A.T. team from the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, the Wrens Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's office.

As for Lazenby, information was received implicating her in the heist, and she was arrested in Lincolnton the day of the robbery.

All three suspects are currently being held in the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Center; bond had not been set as of press time Tuesday.

"This was a great example of interagency cooperation," stated Special Agent Nicholson. "We all worked together, following leads wherever they went, and the results were outstanding. Everything went the way it should. It turned out good for us - nobody was hurt and the bad guys went to jail. What more could you ask for? It was good teamwork."

Law enforcement officials, along with the K-9 unit from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, prepare to search the woods off of Old Petersburg Road for two men suspected of robbing Farmers & Merchants Bank Wednesday, March 14. He further noted that the March 14 robbery of Farmers & Merchants Bank was totally unrelated to the armed robbery that occurred at the bank on January 11, 2007.

Concerning the performance of law enforcement officials in the wake of last week's robbery, Lincoln County Sheriff Gerald Lawson echoed Nicholson's sentiments: "I am extremely pleased with the manner in which all of the agencies worked together to bring about a timely closure to the robbery. If it were not for the cooperation and the hours spent investigating the incident at the outset, we would not be where we are today."

The sheriff indicated that the investigation is still on-going.

In his comments, Lincolnton Police Chief Jim Justice said, "I would like to personally thank all of the different agencies for their assistance. We had a long night and spent many hours on the investigation. It was a great team effort that led to the arrests of the suspects."

Pictured is the Pontiac Grand Prix that was abandoned by Anthony Lawayne Emetu and Juwan Gabriel Beard, both of Wrens, in a field on Old Petersburg Road. The men had another car stashed at the home of Shannon Natasha Lazenby which they allegedly used to make their get away to Wrens. Chief Justice went on to report that Emetu and Lazenby have also been charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Tuesday, January 16, 2007, at approximately 10:50 p.m. at Farmers State Bank.

According to the chief, "Mr. Emetu allegedly approached Mattie Christian, one of the managers at Hardee's, as she was making the night deposit. He then pointed a gun at the victim, took the deposit, and fled on foot."

The manager was not harmed in the incident.

An investigation conducted by the Lincolnton Police Department and the GBI led to the charges filed against Emetu and Lazenby, who each face an additional count of armed robbery.

"I would like to commend Special Agent Tony Williamson of the GBI and Special Agent Tony Deprizio with the FBI for their invaluable assistance with the investigation," stated Chief Justice. "Both of these men are a credit to their profession."