LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Lauderdale County investigators have charged one man and issued an arrest warrant for another following Tuesday evening’s armed robbery in the 4200 block of Highway 19 South.
Authorities said Charles Donte Banyard, 32, of Meridian, has been charged with armed robbery and is being held without bond. Banyard was taken into custody late Tuesday night near the scene of the reported robbery.
Investigators have also obtained a warrant for 23-year-old Johnny Lonell Ruffin, also of Meridian, in connection with the same incident. The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone who knows Ruffin’s whereabouts to call 601-486-4952 or contact Crime Stoppers at 855-485-8477.
Deputies initially responded around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after an E-911 caller reported an armed robbery on Highway 19 South.
Sheriff Ward Calhoun said the suspect fled the area in a vehicle headed north toward Meridian. A deputy later found a vehicle parked near Highway 19 South and Whynot-Causeyville Road and detained a man nearby who matched the suspect description provided by dispatch.
The Sheriff’s Department said the investigation remains active and additional updates will be released as more information becomes available.
