COVINGTON, Ga. — An 18-year-old was jailed in Newton County today after being charged with helping a Virginia man rob a Covington store and leading state officers on a high speed chase in middle Georgia Saturday.
Jahsheniqe Celia Letang, 18, whose address was listed as Austell, and Da’Von Nigel Cumberbatch, 22, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, were arrested in Houston County after wrecking the SUV they were traveling in as they tried to elude State Patrol officers during a chase on I-75 that reached 125 mph, a spokesman said.
Covington Police reported being called Saturday, May 1, at about 9:30 a.m. to a report of an armed robbery at the AT&T Store at 11172 Georgia Hwy. 142, said spokesman Capt. Ken Malcom.
The suspects reportedly were wearing face masks and hoodies and were armed with Taser devices. They took a “large number” of phones and left the store walking in the direction of Lochridge Boulevard in the rear of the store, Malcom said.
Georgia State Patrol officers later saw a white Honda SUV — which they had been told may have been involved in the robbery — traveling southbound on I-75 near Perry in Houston County at a high rate of speed, Malcom said.
The State Patrol attempted to stop the vehicle but it fled on I-75 southbound reaching speeds up to 125 mph, Malcom said.
The vehicle wrecked near exit 127 on I-75 south of Perry in Houston County and the two occupants were taken into custody, Malcom said.
Covington Police Detective Lt. Brent Fuesting recovered 46 iPhones, one iPad, a trash bag the employee stated the assailants took from the store cabinet, boxes with the store’s mailing address, and a white hoodie.
Cumberbatch and Letang were each charged with Armed Robbery in relation to the Saturday incident in Covington. Cumberbatch already was facing an active warrant for his arrest on a traffic violation in Newton County, Malcom said.
“The two arrests so far are the result of the excellent work by our partners with the Georgia State Patrol and members of our 911 Center, Patrol Team, and C.I.D.,” Malcom said.
In addition to his Covington charges, Cumberbatch was being held in the Houston County Jail in Perry today without bond on a series of charges related to fleeing from a law enforcement officer.
He said the case was still under investigation.
