Two Kent men were arrested after they allegedly confronted a third man with loaded shotguns at a Kent apartment complex during the evening of May 25.
Bryce Allen Boylen and Jeffrey Tyler Dolan, both 19 and with Silver Meadows Boulevard addresses, are charged in Portage County Municipal Court in Kent with first-degree felony aggravated robbery.
According to a Kent police report, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery and fight outside a Carlisle Court apartment building at about 8:45 p.m. May 25. A responding officer reported that when he arrived, he saw what appeared to be a fight in progress, with one male, later identified as Boylen, running from the scene and another male, the alleged robbery victim, walking away in the opposite direction.
The victim was stopped and a Suffield Township man, identified as a witness, was in a vehicle and Dolan was standing nearby. Boylen eventually returned to the scene. None of the men were carrying a firearm, but police said they found two loaded shotguns next to a trash bin.
Police said Boylen, Dolan and the Suffield man all reportedly had ongoing issues with the victim. This included the victim allegedly sending a threatening text message to Dolan earlier in the day and then coming over to Boylen and Dolan’s neighborhood with friends, but no incidents were reported.
The victim said that he was confronted by two people carrying shotguns on Carlisle. They were also wearing masks, but the victim said he recognized them as Boylen and Dolan by the clothing they were still wearing. The victim said Boylen allegedly threatened to shoot him and and then a slang expression was used to tell him to empty his pockets.
Boylen and Dolan left, the victim said, but then returned without the guns and masks and allegedly assaulted him. EMS took the victim to University Hospitals Portage Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
Police said Boylen admitted to bringing his shotgun for protection during a confrontation with the victim. Dolan denied involvement in a confrontation with the victim, saying he thought he and Boylen were going to a gun range. Dolan denied he was carrying his gun during the incident.
Police said a woman living in the complex and identified as the victim’s fiancée, had video of the incident. Police said the video showed first one masked male and then a second walking up to the victim, each carrying a “long gun” similar to the shotguns that were found.
Police said they identified the first male as Boylen by his clothing and because the mask slipped down at times. Police said that unlike the second male in the video, Dolan was shirtless when they spoke to him, but his pants looked the same.
Police said that while the second male kept his gun at his side, the first pointed his at the victim, with both males using the slang expression indicating they wanted him to empty his pockets. The victim backs up as the first male advances, allegedly threatening to shoot the victim.
In a second video, the first male is still shown pointing his gun at the victim, but the second male is no longer holding a gun.
Boylen and Dolan were arrested and taken to the Kent Police Department. They were booked into Portage County Jail early the next morning, according to a jail booking report.
Boylen and Dolan were arraigned May 27 and ordered held on $100,000 cash or surety bonds. They were scheduled for May 30 preliminary hearings.
Attorneys representing Boylen and Dolan could not immediately be identified.
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Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent men charged with robbery in alleged confrontation with shotguns