Romeo PerkinsAn 18-year-old man's case is heading to a grand jury after prosecutors Tuesday in Hamilton County General Sessions Court outlined two robberies they believe he committed.
Romeo Perkins faces two counts of aggravated robbery and remains in custody on a $100,000 bond.
Prosecutors say he and an accomplice approached a couple sitting on the Tennessee Riverwalk at 100 Manufacturers Road on Feb. 26, held them at gunpoint, and demanded they hand over their money. Minutes before, David Slaney said, he had been looking at his phone.
"When I looked up, I saw the gun pointed in my face," he told Perkins' attorney, Marty Levitt, on Tuesday.
"At that point, he says what to you?" Levitt asked.
"'All of it, give me all of it,'" Slaney replied.
Prosecutors said Perkins and his partner got away that night. A couple of weeks later, however, Slaney and Chloe Heydt said a friend showed them an article with a picture of a mugshot. It was another armed robbery by Perkins, and it sounded similar to their situation.
"So we called the detective," Heydt said.
Attorney Levitt focused Tuesday on the identification the couple made during their photo lineup. Perkins and his accomplice allegedly had hoodies pulled over their faces.
"What led you to identify the person?" Levitt asked Heydt. "You saw him for a very short time, what was it?"
"His facial features," she replied. "Just in general ... his eyes, mouth, nose."
Levitt then called officer Bryon Boller.
"How did you pick the photos?" Levitt asked. "Was the same picture of Mr. Perkins on the news in the lineup?"
"The picture on the news?" Boller asked. "I didn't see it."
Court records show Perkins confessed to a separate armed robbery on March 4 around 2:30 a.m. near the courthouse on Cherry Street. Perkins and another man approached a victim walking to his car and threatened him with a machete. The victim handed over his wallet with $30, a debit card, several credit cards, his cellphone, and the keys to his vehicle, records show.
Police located Perkins after the victim reported that somebody charged $72.27 to his credit card at City Cafe, court records show. Perkins admitted to the crime and said the victim's car keys were at his home on Grove Street, police said.
After listening to the evidence so far, judge Gary Starnes sent both charges to the grand jury and left the bonds the same. If he is indicted, Perkins' case will proceed to Hamilton County Criminal Court.
Perkins has no other record in General Sessions Court.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.