Three-day ordeal leads to arrests
Published 7:00 pm Sunday, January 11, 2015
MOULTRIE — A jealous boyfriend is accused of holding a Moultrie woman against her will while questioning at gunpoint three men whom he suspected of being involved with her.
Police arrested the boyfriend and as a result of the investigation also made a second arrest and seized suspected cocaine and marijuana.
Metesha Lashawn Slay, 34, told police that she was awake for the entire episode that unfolded at two separate locations over almost three days last week before she was able to escape with the couple’s two children.
Officers were alerted at about 4:15 p.m. Monday after Slay ran to a neighbor’s residence, where police initially were summoned. They went to Slay’s 621 Oak Circle residence where they arrested Robert Lee Smith after a short foot chase.
The incident began Friday night with Slay and Smith drinking some beers at Smith’s 319 First St. N.W. apartment, police said. Slay told police that she went to sleep and a short time later Smith, the father of two of her children, woke her and asked her to drink another beer, which she declined.
“He’s sitting on the side of the bed, looking at his cell phone saying, ‘My baby, my baby,’” Moultrie Police Department Investigator William Baillargeon said. “He’s apparently looking at two videos he supposedly recorded while she’s sleeping.”
In the recording a woman can be heard screaming, apparently sound that was picked up from a television in an adjacent room, he said, and Slay could not convince Smith that was the source of the audio.
“He’s upset because he thinks she’s having intimate relations with one of the others who were at the apartment,” Baillargeon said.
Smith, reportedly armed with a pistol, called a man Slay knew only as “Frost” into the bedroom from the living room area and Smith told her to tie him up, which she refused to do.
“He ends up tying the guy up and grilling him about what he thinks is going on with (Slay),” Baillargeon said. “He starts to put the guy in the closet but says ‘OK, I trust you.’”
Next Smith called a man Slay knows as “Rikizio” into the bedroom, according to Slay’s narrative, and Smith told him to untie Frost, and then instructed Frost to tape up Rikizio.
“Immediately he starts assaulting Rikizio and grilling him about somebody touching his girl,” Baillargeon said.
Then Smith reportedly called in a third man Slay knew as “Skull.”
“Skull comes into the room and he (Smith) immediately sticks the gun to his head and said, ‘You touched my girl,’” Baillargeon said. “It winds up him making this guy strip off his clothes and he puts him in the closet. Eventually he’s let out of the closet.”
Slay and Smith reportedly went back to her Oak Circle residence. She told police she was afraid to try to leave with Smith armed and because of the drama that she had witnessed. At one point Smith allowed her to go get their two children but ordered her to return immediately, which she did.
As the situation continued into Monday a friend showed up and Slay asked him to tell Smith to leave, police said. While he was there she found the opportunity to leave with the children. They went to a residence in the 1000 block of Seventh Street NW.
After officers chased Smith down at Slay’s residence they found a bag inside containing four pistols, Baillargeon said. Slay had told police that Smith pulled a gun out of a bag.
Suspecting that there could be more evidence related to the incident at Smith’s residence police got a warrant to search that location, he said. During the time they were waiting for the authorization to enter the residence they learned there was a man inside. He refused to answer the door.
As police were preparing to enter the residence with the search warrant the man, known by Slay as “Skull” and later identified as McKinley Corey Harrison, came outside and surrendered, Baillargeon said.
A search of the residence turned up suspected cocaine and marijuana.
Smith, 39, was charged with false imprisonment and obstruction of a police officer, and Harrison, 35, 1484 Highway 270 West, Doerun was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.