Four people are facing charges in Bowie County after allegedly orchestrating an armed robbery of a woman who had just cashed her tax refund.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim was carrying $8,000 in cash when she went for a hair appointment on February 24. Her hairstylist, Kierra Laljuana Forte, 23, reportedly noticed the money and tipped off two men, Samondre “Mon” Jaquan Lewis, 23, and Andre “Dre” Lamont Jones Jr., 33, who later carried out the robbery. Another woman, Cornetta Nicole Thomas, 23, is accused of acting as an accomplice.
After the appointment, Forte drove the woman and her children back to their car when two masked gunmen approached with firearms. One suspect allegedly threatened to shoot her if she didn’t hand over her wallet. The victim, recognizing Lewis’ voice, complied after the men pointed their guns at her children.
Investigators linked the suspects to the crime through surveillance footage, phone records, and jailhouse calls. Forte, who had initially been released on bond, is now back in custody. Thomas and Jones are held on $200,000 bonds. Lewis is also charged in a separate armed robbery that occurred days earlier.
If convicted of aggravated robbery, the suspects face five to 99 years or life in prison.
