Man tells police fellow ‘smoker’ robbed him

Is a crime committed during the process of another crime, still a crime? A Tallahatchie County resident certainly believes so, as evidenced in an incident report taken by the Panola County Sheriff’s Department last week.
The complainant – not named in the report released by the sheriff’s office – apparently flagged down a Batesville officer, Lt. Richard Lott, in the early morning hours of Feb. 13, with an unusual admission.
According to the report, the 31-year-old man, told Lt. Lott he had driven to Batesville from Courtland to report an armed robbery.
He told police that he was in a parked car in Courtland about to smoke marijuana with an acquaintance when he was accosted by another man with a gun. The complainant said the man struck him with the weapon, and then held him at gunpoint while the other man took his mobile phone, his wallet, and $15 in cash.
Lt. Lott contacted the Sheriff’s Department because the alleged crime was outside Batesville city limits, and Detective Tommy Crutcher took over the investigation.
Deputies were able to use the “find my iPhone” feature of the mobile phone, and located the phone and wallet at a residence at 8613 Hwy. 51S, Courtland.
Arrested was LaVontia Mykel Benson, 18. He was identified by the complainant as the person he was “fixing to smoke weed with” when the alleged robbery occurred.
Deputies were unable to locate a third man – the person the complainant claims pistol-whipped him. For his part, Benson is reportedly saying he acted alone, and has refused to cooperate with the lawmen.