Giacomo Bologna, GBOLOGNA@NEWS-LEADER.COM Published 1:12 p.m. CT Jan. 16, 2018
A 22-year-old Springfield man was at a party this month when his phone got a notification.
A friend had just sent him pictures of cookies, deputies say, and not just any cookies — "marijuana cookies."
Christopher Hanes wanted those cookies, deputies say, and together, with 24-year-old Steven Turner and a third unidentified male, they devised a plan.
According to deputies, here was the gist: Go over to their friend's apartment, fake a robbery, and take off with the cookies.
The Jan. 7 incident is described in a probable cause statement filed by Greene County Sheriff's deputies, which said the trio had a mask, a handgun and a getaway car.
According to the statement, they went over to the friend's apartment. Hanes went up to the door, the statement said, and was let in by his friend.
With the door still ajar, the unidentified male — wearing a mask and holding a gun — came inside the apartment and ordered both of them to get on the ground, the statement said.
Hanes gave the masked man some cash and the masked man ran out of the apartment, the statement said.
The friend — apparently unaware he had been set up — went out with Hanes to the parking lot to search for the suspect, according to the statement.
They saw two people in a car and Hanes went up and spoke to the occupants.
The friend asked Hanes if he knew the people inside, the statement said, and Hanes said he did not.
According to the statement, Hanes then left in that car with the two people inside.
The friend, Edward Tamayo, took down the license plate number and described the robbery to authorities, the statement said.
Tamayo apparently left out the part about the "marijuana cookies."
When deputies located the car — which was registered to Steven Turner — they found Turner and Hanes inside, the statement said.
Deputies also found a handgun and about a pound of marijuana cookies, according to the statement.
Both Hanes and Turner were arrested and taken to the Greene County Jail, where Hanes described to investigators how they came up with their plan to take the cookies.
Hanes allegedly said the handgun was not loaded at the time of the incident.
It does not appear from the statement that Hanes or Turner told investigators the identity of the masked man.
When deputies recontacted Tamayo, he confirmed the statements made by Hanes and said the marijuana cookies were his, the statement said.
Court records show Tamayo has not been charged with a crime.
According to online court records, Hanes has been charged with being an accessory to robbery, being an accessory to possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon.
Hanes's attorney John Kail said he and his client are "looking forward to a favorable resolution to this matter."
Court records say Turner has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to robbery and being an accessory to possession of a controlled substance.
Turner's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
