A second man has been charged in connection to a robbery that took place July 19 in Warrensburg.
21-year-old James Edward Finch III faces charges of robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to the probable cause statement, on July 19, a victim met with Finch and Jordan D. Graves, 19, for what was described as the purchase of an e-bike in the 500 block of South Main Street.
Investigators have since determined the meeting was for a narcotics transaction gone bad.
The victim told the Warrensburg Police Department that he entered the rear of a vehicle, which was later determined to be driven by Graves. The suspects allegedly told the victim that he needed to see money. The victim also had a baggie with a quarter pound of marijuana next to his leg.
The vehicle’s driver grabbed the bag from him. The victim told law enforcement he also heard the passenger putting a round of ammunition into a gun before telling him to get out of the car. The victim stated the suspects did not pay for the marijuana.
The victim recorded footage of the vehicle fleeing the scene and called the WPD.
The footage showed a silver Honda Accord with a Missouri license plate and a driver in a blue hoodie.
Officers investigated the footage and determined that Graves was the driver of the car. The vehicle was located in front of an apartment complex, where officers asked to review security footage from the apartment’s management office. It was determined that Graves did not exit the apartment before officers arrived.
Surveillance was conducted on the apartment until Graves exited. He was taken into custody after resisting arrest from officers.
Later, a search warrant was executed to collect evidence from Graves’ residence. Investigators found a pistol and clothing matching the suspect’s description.
Graves initially told officers he knew the other suspect as “Jay”. On July 20, investigators returned to the Johnson County Jail to re-interview Graves. In that interview, he identified the second suspect as Finch. He also stated during the robbery, Finch used a handgun that was cocked.
On Wednesday, July 23, Finch’s family members told law enforcement they had not seen Finch since he asked for money to get to the Kansas City area within the last three or four days. They told WPD they did not give him money to leave, and had not seen him since.
Finch was arrested on Thursday, July 24 by WPD. He pleaded not guilty on Friday, July 25. He is being held on a $100,000 bond. A bond reduction hearing is scheduled for July 30.
Graves, who has also pleaded not guilty in the case, remains behind bars with a $100,000 bond. Reduced bond was denied on July 23. A case review is scheduled for July 30.
