TACOMA, Wash. — The second of two suspects in the robbery of a Tacoma pot shop that left a 29-year-old employee dead made his first court appearance Wednesday.
Montrell Hatfield, 16, and Marshon Jones, 15, are accused of robbing World of Weed Cannabis Dispensary in Tacoma at gunpoint in March, which led to the fatal shooting of an employee, later identified as 29-year-old Jordan Brown of Gig Harbor.
On Wednesday, Hatfield pled not guilty to first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Although he is a minor, Hatfield will be charged as an adult for these crimes.
Hatfield's bail was set at $3 million.
“[Hatfield] made no effort to turn himself in. He’s already violated court orders in the King County cases by cutting off his ankle monitor," said Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Wagner. "The fact that he’s been identified in a recent armed robbery shows how little regard he has for court orders and the lives of other people in this county. I think the only way to keep the county safe is to keep him in custody.”
A jury trial is scheduled to begin on June 9.
Hatfield was arrested in Kent on Tuesday, just over a week after Jones was taken into custody.
Jones made his first court appearance earlier this month and has been charged with first-degree murder. He has yet to be arraigned. A hearing to decide whether Jones' case will be moved out of juvenile court is scheduled for April 25.
Charging documents allege Jones shot Brown after he got into an altercation with Hatfield. Police found Brown with a gunshot wound after arriving at the scene and attempted to provide him first aid, however, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jones and Hatfield are linked to multiple other armed robberies.
Police believe Hatfield may have been involved in a separate pot shop armed robbery on Apr. 18 in Lacey at Forbidden Cannabis. Lacey Police released a statement Wednesday indicating that Hatfield has been identified as one of the suspects and is in custody, and they are searching for a second suspect involved in the incident.
The teens were arrested and charged in connection with a robbery at a pawn shop in Federal Way on Feb. 22. Both teens were charged with robbery in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree related to the incident.
The King County Prosecutor's Office requested the teens be held in juvenile detention, but they were released on electronic home monitoring by a judge, according to the prosecutor's office.
The teens are also accused of robbing Bellevue Rare Coins in West Seattle at gunpoint at the beginning of April. The teens allegedly forced employees to empty cash registers and open the store's safe at gunpoint. They also shattered several jewelry display cases and took off with around $12,000 in cash and jewelry, according to the Seattle Police Department.