Three men, including one whose lawyer said he is a Marine waiting to be deployed, have been charged with armed robbery after what a prosecutor said started as a drug deal early Friday in the outskirts of Whiteford that left two brothers in just their underwear and socks knocking on doors seeking help in the middle of the night.
Adam Jackson Emery, 20, of the 600 block of Cedar Lane in Bel Air; Daniel Lewis Rohlfing, 19, of the 700 block of Grady Lane in Bel Air; and Michael David Wells, 19, of the 2800 block of Meredith Court in Abingdon, were all charged Dec. 30 with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of robbery, two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime and having a handgun in a vehicle.
Deputies responded to the 3900 block of Tabernacle Road, according to a police report, around 2:26 a.m. for a report of a man found in his underwear and socks. The deputies spoke with the residents of the house, who said that the man, a 20-year-old, came to their door and woke them to report he had been assaulted and robbed at gunpoint.
The robbery occurred on the other side of Broad Creek on Tabernacle Road, according to the report, where three white men with a shotgun and handgun, driving a green Land Rover, allegedly robbed and assaulted the victim and his 17-year-old brother.
Deputies issued an alert and found a green Land Rover at the Wawa at the intersection of Routes 1 and 136; in the car police found a shotgun, a handgun and ammunition, according to the report. The three suspects were arrested after being identified by the two victims as the robbers, according to police.
By 2:54 a.m., deputies had also found the 17-year-old brother in the 2000 block of Susquehanna Hall Road after another homeowner called police to report a man in his boxers and socks.
Prior to bail review hearings Tuesday afternoon, all three were being held on $1 million bond at the Harford County Detention Center. Emery, Rohlfing and Wells all appeared before District Court Judge Victor Butanis Tuesday to review their bail statuses.
Emery's attorney, Public Defender Lynne McChrystal, requested a reduction in Emery's bail, noting that he is a lifelong resident of Maryland, has earned 60 credits at Harford Community College and has no failures to appear.
During Emery's hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Alison Carver called the charges "extremely serious" and said it began as a drug deal involving marijuana.
Butanis opted to leave Emery's bail as set, agreeing with Carver that the charges were serious.
For Rohlfing and Wells, however, Butanis lowered each of their bails from $1 million to $750,000. Rohlfing's family filled up nearly half of the courtroom and several members spoke on behalf of him, emphasizing his non-violent nature.
His defense attorney, David Henninger, also pointed out that Rohlfing is in the U.S. Marine Corps and is waiting to be deployed. Rohlfing and a friend had been to the shooting range the day before, Henninger said, and that is why he had weapons in the car.
Henninger also mentioned Rohlfing's lack of a criminal record and requested a reduction in bail to $250,000. Butanis lowered the bail, but also called it a "horrendous situation" and said that Rohlfing admitted to pointing the handgun at the victim and quoted charging documents which reported brass knuckles as being used in the incident.
Wells, according to his attorney, James Hock, lives with his brother and has no criminal record. His mom, too, spoke during the hearing, asking for a reduction in bail and stressing that she has never had any trouble with him.
As of Tuesday afternoon, all three were still being held at the detention center.