Felony charges against three men and a minor were filed last week in Sweetwater County Circuit Court following an alleged incident where a Rock Springs man was held against his will and beaten.
Charges were filed against Damon Ray Longfellow, 21, of Rock Springs; Dominick James McCall, 19, of Reliance; Tyler Jerome Billstein, 20, of Rock Springs; and Alex Carrier, 16, of Rock Springs. Carrier was charged as an adult for his alleged participation in the event.
Longfellow faces felony charges of kidnapping and robbery, along with two counts of misdemeanor theft, unlawful use of a credit card and unlawful contact without bodily injury. Kidnapping carries a possible maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $10,000 fine while robbery has a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Each of the misdemeanor charges Longfellow faces carry a possible jail sentence of up to six months and a maximum fine of $750.
McCall faces felony charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as misdemeanor charges consisting of four counts of reckless endangering and one count of battery. Like robbery, the charge of conspiracy to commit robbery carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine and if convicted of both felonies, McCall could see a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. The battery charge is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine, while each reckless endangering charge is punishable by up to one year in jail.
Billstein faces felony charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as two misdemeanor charges of battery and reckless endangering. Carrier was charged with kidnapping, reckless endangering and two counts of battery.
According to court documents, Officer Cody Morgan of the Rock Springs Police Department interviewed Skylar Haywood May 1 at his apartment on Century Boulevard. Before being interviewed, Haywood was checked by an ambulance and was recommended to go to the hospital after the interview.
He said he met Longfellow through mutual friends in March and the two would hang out as they lived in the same building. He said Longfellow asked about his tax return in the middle of April, with Longfellow bringing up the topic again April 29, asking if Haywood received his tax refund. Haywood said he did and when asked for proof by Longfellow, showed him a bank statement showing he had approximately $1,000 in his account.
On April 30, Longfellow asked Haywood if he wanted to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana at his apartment. Haywood went to Longfellow’s apartment and saw multiple people already there, identifying McCall and Billstein among the group. After drinking two shots of whiskey, Haywood said he smoked marijuana in Longfellow’s bedroom and was joined by the other men in the apartment. Two women at the apartment stayed in the living room.
According to Haywood, things took a turn in the bedroom when the group started questioning Haywood about the reason he had been sent to the Wyoming Boys School and did not respond well to his reluctance to talk about it. He told the officer the group stood around him in what he believed was a threatening manner and he pulled out a pocket knife to defend himself with. He alleges McCall put him in a tight chokehold while other people in the room punched and slapped him. He said he was lowered on to a chair and patted down by Billstein. Haywood alleges Longfellow ordered him to hand over his phone and type the password for his bank information, which Haywood said he complied with because he was scared. Longfellow then allegedly took Haywood’s wallet that contained $80 and a bank card, then left the residence.
The group continued to ask Haywood about the reason behind his placement at the boys school. Haywood said he was intentionally vague because McCall was recording the incident on his phone, resulting in the group continuing to beat him and threaten him. At one point, Haywood said duct tape was wrapped around his mouth and down his neck approximately six times. He alleged Billstein pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun, which was later identified as an airsoft gun, and threatened him with it. He also alleged he was threatened not to go to the police because the group would retaliate against him and his family.
Haywood told the officer Longfellow returned and tipped the chair Haywood was sitting in, causing him to fall to the floor. Someone then removed the tape from his face. Haywood said Longfellow walked him back to his apartment and told him he owed Longfellow his life because he was lucky Longfellow didn’t allow the group to kill him. He then returned the wallet to Haywood, which contained his bank card, but was missing the $80 he had.
Haywood then alleged Longfellow was messaging him through Snapchat for more money and he complied by sending him two $200 transactions after midnight May 1, after which Longfellow blocked Haywood on Facebook.
The following morning, Haywood contacted his father and told him of the incident, after which they went to the RSPD station to report it.
Reader Comments(0)