21-year-old arrested for robbery in Lowndes County
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of a man wanted for robbery in Lowndes County.
Detectives from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 21-year-old Brandon Baker Jr. from Columbus.
On Friday, May 16, detectives arrested Baker at his home on Wren Street in the New Hope area.
He is being charged with the attempted armed robbery at Dollar General, which occurred on March 31, 2024, in Artesia, as well as the armed robbery of the State Line Fuel Center on April 1, 2024.
On March 31, 2024, around 10:26 p.m., a person was sitting in his vehicle at Dollar General, located at 419 Lehmberg Street in Artesia, waiting for an employee to finish work.
A person wearing a dark hoodie and a white mask, armed with a shotgun, knocked on the window of the victim’s vehicle and demanded that he step out of the car.
The victim did step out of the car and was also demanded to open the doors to the store.
As the victim knocked on the locked doors of the store, the masked person entered the victim’s vehicle and attempted to drive away.
The vehicle did have some mechanical problems and stalled while the suspect was backing up.
The suspect then got out of the vehicle while it was still rolling in reverse and ran to another vehicle waiting on Highway 45 S Alt.
This second vehicle was a dark color, and it drove north on Highway 45 S Alt with the two suspects.
Later that morning, around 2:13 a.m., the same masked person who was still armed with the shotgun, entered the State Line Fuel Center located at 7803 Highway 182 E and attempted to rob the store.
During this attempted robbery, the suspect assaulted an employee.
The employee fought back, and as a result, was struck in the head multiple times with the shotgun.
The suspect then left the scene on foot without taking any money.
The injured employee was taken to Baptist, where he received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives have now linked evidence of these two crimes to Baker.
He will face two counts of armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault.
This investigation is ongoing, and detectives believe Baker may be responsible for other crimes.
A search of Baker’s home shows evidence that could possibly link him to a robbery that happened at the Family Dollar on Tabernacle Road on May 3, 2025.
Baker remains at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center waiting for his initial court appearance.
