Joseph Franklin Brown, 35, and William Cordell Johnson, 37, were arrested Friday by the Raleigh, N.C. Police Department after being tipped off by detectives from St. Mary's County BCI. (Raleigh Arrest Photos)
LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Oct. 4, 2008)—Three men and one woman were arrested on Friday for the Sept. 24 kidnapping of LaToya Booth and two of her children and the subsequent robbery of the Esperanza Branch of the PNC Bank in California, Md. where Booth was a manager.
Police say the arrests were the result of search and seizure warrants in Calvert and St. Mary's County on homes, persons, and vehicles that began in the early morning hours of October 3rd.
Police say they recovered approximately $100,000 of the stolen currency. They did not release the total amount taken in the robbery.
Joseph Franklin Brown, 35, and William Cordell Johnson, 37, a/k/a Back Road Billy, were arrested on Friday by the Raleigh, N.C. Police Department after being tipped off by detectives from the St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).
Police identify the town of residence for both men as California, Md. Previous court cases list the men's residences as St. Leonard, Calvert County. Booth was kidnapped from her home in Lusby, Calvert County.
Police say the two men fled to the Raleigh area in a silver 2002 BMW car.
Brown has a long history of criminal cases dating back to 1991. Charges include illegal drugs, theft, burglary, and trespassing.
Johnson has only three known criminal cases in Maryland dating back to 1997. Charges include illegal drugs, theft, and assault.
Both men are being held in the Wake County, North Carolina, Jail awaiting extradition back to Maryland.
Quinita Jesse Ennis, 30, of Lexington Park, and Edwin Jonathan Jones, 40, of Lexington Park. (Arrest Photos)
Quinita Jesse Ennis, 30, of Lexington Park, was taken into custody and charged with 3 counts of kidnapping, first degree assault, armed robbery, theft over $500, and conspiracy.
Edwin Jonathan Jones, 40, of Lexington Park, was taken into custody and charged with 3 counts of kidnapping, first degree assault, armed robbery, theft over $500, conspiracy, and being an accessory before and after the fact.
Ennis and Jones were incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention Center in Leonardtown.
According to BCI, the following agencies were involved with the investigation: Calvert Investigative Team, Maryland State Police, MSP Homeland Security and Intelligence Division, St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, Calvert County Sheriff's Office, the Southern Maryland Information Center, and the FBI.
Police in St. Mary's County have announced a press conference to be held Monday afternoon where they will release more details.