3rd man arrested after York County assault, robbery

A Clover man was arrested Thursday morning after York County deputies had been searching for him since an assault and robbery in York Tuesday.

Tristan Thomas West, 31, fled the area after the report of a strong-arm robbery on Lincoln Road in York, according to a York County Sheriff’s Office report.

Deputies responded at about 11 p.m. Tuesday to an assault report in York, the report says.

A man was lying in his driveway with injuries to his head and legs, the report says. The man told deputies he had been assaulted and robbed by West and his girlfriend Tasha Lee Howard, 35, the victim’s cousin. He told deputies West “viciously assaulted him,” took his wallet and gave it to Howard, the report says.

Howard, who returned to the house while deputies were there, said West assaulted the man while she was with him on the deck. She said West handed her the man’s wallet, but she put it on the kitchen table. The wallet hadn’t been seen since, the report says.

Howard told deputies she had $200, the report says. The victim’s girlfriend told deputies Howard took $300 from the victim’s wallet, the report says.

When she was told to empty her pockets, Howard had $300 and “could not provide an explanation from where the money came from,” the report says. A small bag of what appeared to be meth “fell out of an undisclosed location on Tasha’s person” when she was arrested, the report says.

Howard was charged with criminal conspiracy, manufacture or distribution of cocaine and strong-arm robbery.

K-9 units searched for West and two other suspects, who fled into the woods when deputies arrived, the report says. The two others, Michael Eugene Davis and another person, were carrying four bookbags, the report says. Davis’ bookbags held four BB guns, meth pipes and prescription medicine, the report says.

Davis briefly escaped from York County Prison in March. Davis stole a county work truck in March and fled from behind the vehicle maintenance shed near the York County Prison, where he was on a work detail after being imprisoned for a Family Court bench warrant and a traffic violation, police said. He was found March 8 at a Lake Wylie home.

He is now charged with possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of meth or cocaine. His bond has been set at $3,000.

West wasn’t found at the time, but has now been charged with strong-arm robbery and criminal conspiracy. His bond is set at $7,500.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 5:22 PM with the headline "3rd man arrested after York County assault, robbery."