A Chatham County jury on Wednesday found three men guilty of two armed robberies that took place in and around Forsyth Park last May.
Devante Tyrell Bynes, 21, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of harming a police dog; Devon Manuel Tarver, 23, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery; and Josephewa Sonny Ramsey, 28, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of obstruction, said Daniel Baxter, Chatham County District Attorney’s Office spokesman.
Assistant District Attorney Jerry Rothschild told the jury that on the evening of May 21, 2013, Savannah-Chatham police Detective William Bailey was patrolling the area of Forsyth Park as part of a planned operation to deter armed robberies in the area. About midnight, the detective witnessed three men surround another man in what looked like an armed robbery.
Upon seeing the detective, the three men ran away. Ramsey was apprehended immediately by Bailey, who was in pursuit.
With help from a K-9 unit, Tarver and Bynes were caught minutes later hiding on East Park Avenue.
During Bynes’ apprehension, the K-9 suffered injuries in the struggle, but later recovered.
That K-9 has been identified in previous Savannah Morning News stories as the police dog Flash.
Upon investigation, police found two of the men in possession of items belonging to two people who had been robbed at gunpoint in separate instances earlier that evening, Baxter said.
Sentencing will be at a later date by Superior Court Judge Michael Karpf.