Four gunpoint kidnappings on both UB campuses in October and November may have been solved Wednesday, with the arraignment of four University Heights area men, two of whom were UB students at the time of the crimes.
The defendants allegedly abducted and robbed students whom they suspected were marijuana dealers, because dealers might be hesitant to involve police, investigators said.
"They thought that the kids were selling grass on campus," said Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark. "That's why they say they targeted these kids."
Andre Simpson, 21, Keno McLeod, 22, Clayton Howard, 23, and Marvin Nelson, 20, were arraigned Wednesday afternoon on four counts of kidnapping in the second degree, robbery in the first degree, eight counts of robbery in the second degree, assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree.
All four pleaded not guilty before Erie County Court Judge Timothy J. Drury, according to a news release from the Erie County District Attorney's office.
Simpson, McLeod and Howard remain jailed in lieu of bail, and Nelson has been freed on $50,000 bail.
The men, all former UB students, have been linked to two gunpoint abductions of students on Nov. 23, and two similar robberies Nov. 14 and Oct. 28. One of the victims suffered a punctured lung after he was beaten.
Simpson and Nelson were UB students at the time of the incidents. McLeod was a UB graduate, and Howard was a former student who did not graduate.
According to Clark, Simpson turned himself into the district office within a few days of a Nov. 23 incident near South Campus. Police subsequently released two other suspects who had been placed in custody based on the victim's identification.
"He didn't (turn himself in) because all of a sudden he got a bolt of religion," said Clark. "It wasn't as if they weren't going to find him."
According to Clark, the criminals fled on foot from a botched kidnapping the night of Nov. 23, leaving Simpson's vehicle behind as the victim flagged down a passing police car.
"They all ran, but the car was still there," Clark said. "The car was seized, and it was registered to him."
A joint investigation by Buffalo and university police led to Wednesday's arraignment.
Clark said there would be no investigation into whether or not the victims actually possessed or sold drugs.
According to the news release, the defendants could face up to 25 years in prison for each incident.
