The elderly couple told police they had been duped out of thousands of dollars and that their Social Security checks were diverted to Georgia, which gave detectives their first real clue.FORT WAYNE – A man already jailed on robbery charges now faces additional charges in connection with a rash of holdups at Fort Wayne apartment complexes.
Prosecutors have accused Devonte Hamlet, 20, of committing four of the 13 similar apartment robberies reported between Jan. 7 and Jan. 18.
Hamlet was arrested Jan. 22 for allegedly robbing a family during a home invasion the night of Jan. 10 at Island Club Apartments, near East Wallen and Auburn roads. He was later accused of committing another robbery the same night at Cambridge Square Apartments, near Coldwater and East Cook roads.
This week, he was charged with two robberies reported the night of Jan. 7: one at Canterbury Green Apartments, 5127 Stonehedge Blvd., and the other at Autumn Creek Apartments, 2026 Ardmore Ave.
In those Jan. 7 cases, Hamlet and another man, both armed with handguns, approached the victims in their apartment buildings, according to court papers. The robbers took the victims’ wallets and cellphones, court papers stated.
Two other men, Tiron Beard and Corey Harris, who police say were found with items stolen during the robberies, have been arrested and charged.
