By Guy Leonard, St. Mary's County Times
HOLLYWOOD, Md.—A man involved in the planning of a burglary that turned into a hasty armed robbery last year has pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in county Circuit Court.
Davontraz Ball, 20, of Great Mills, took a guilty plea Aug. 14, according to court documents.
According to police charging documents Ball learned that the victim in the case, Brandon Dinger, had a large amount of cash in his possession and Ball quickly called his co-defendant, Torian Taylor Luckett, also 20, of Great Mills who quickly devised a plan to burglarize Dinger’s home in Ridge in search of the cash.
Ball, charging documents stated, provided Dinger’s address and description of his home.
Luckett broke in by smashing a window, police stated, and ransacked the victim’s home while he and his family were away.
While looking for the money he took two handguns and two shotguns, police said, that were valued at about $900.
Soon Dinger and his fiance and two children returned home and as he entered, Luckett confronted Dinger with one of the pistols and demanded money, charging documents stated.
Police say Luckett pull the trigger on the pistol as he was holding it on Dinger but it failed to fire; Dinger fled but Luckett fired and the round hit the vehicle with this fiance and children still inside narrowly missing them.
Luckett continued to chase Dinger to a neighboring yard where he is alleged to have robbed him of about $3,700.
Luckett is said to have run into nearby woods where he contacted Ball and told him the burglary had not gone as planned and related the details of the burglary and subsequent shooting.
Luckett still faces a jury trial set for September in which he has been indicted for conspiracy to commit an armed robbery, armed robbery, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and reckless endangerment.