At least one of the suspects knew the man who was robbed outside of the Carpenter Road Bob Evans in Pittsfield Township early Friday morning, where they met to square a debt.
Pittsfield Township Deputy Police Chief Gordy Schick said the 20-year-old Howell man who was robbed at the Bob Evans had met an acquaintance to settle a debt regarding some truck repairs. They had known each other for approximately three weeks, Schick said.
Three men, one with a knife, robbed the Howell man and then ran toward a Days Inn across the street. All three have been arrested.
Schick said their arrests are thanks to good witnesses who were able to point police in the right direction, leading them to the room where the men were staying.
“If it wasn’t for good witnesses, the suspects could have gotten away,” he said.
The Howell man reported being robbed at 1:20 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Bob Evans at 2411 Carpenter Road.
A Smith and Wesson folding knife and drugs were confiscated from the arrested men. Schick said there were no other indicators in the police report that made him believe the incident was a drug deal, but the robbery is still under investigation.
The 26-year-old and 28-year-old Harrison Township men and 33-year-old Marine City man were lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail and were expected to be arraigned Friday.
It’s unclear which man knew the Howell man.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.