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Police found body armor, guns, knives and several rounds of ammunition when they arrested the co-owner of an amusement ride company and three other men early Thursday on robbery charges, a police report said.
The arrest of Benjamin Burton, 33, co-owner of Shirley-based based Burton Brothers Amusements, came after three men, former Burton Brothers employees, were robbed and beaten outside a motel along Coliseum Boulevard West, the report said.
The amusement company has been in the area working at Turtle Days in Churubusco.
The robbery occurred in the parking lot of Motel 6, 3003 Coliseum Blvd. W., after an argument among the seven men that began at Brandy’s Gentlemen’s Club, 3011 Coliseum Blvd. W., shortly before 3 a.m., according to a police report.
Burton is also charged with unlawful use of body armor, which he was wearing when police found him, the the report said.
The three other men arrested were Triston Harris, 21, of Plymouth; Jesse Hawkins, 22, of Whitesburg, Tenn.; and Mark Wagner, 35, of The Villages, Fla., police said. All four men were released Thursday on bond.
Reached by phone Thursday evening, Burton declined to talk about the charges but said the rides his company furnished for Turtle Days are fully functional and operational. He added that he and his company are committed to giving their patrons a great time.
Churubusco Town Marshal Chad Fulkerson was surprised by the allegations and said he had not heard about their extent until he was contacted by a reporter Thursday evening.
Fulkerson said Burton asked several employees to leave Turtle Days on Wednesday night after a disagreement over the way the employees were running a game.
Kirk Gray, festival president, said the company was still providing rides for Turtle Days and the company “assured him that all the parties that are allegedly involved have been removed from the midway.”
The four men are accused of threatening the victims with a gun and a knife, then beating and robbing them of $2,500 cash before leaving the scene in Burton’s pickup truck, according to police.
One of the victims was bleeding profusely from his head and taken to a hospital, police said. Harris was hospitalized with stab wounds.
When officers stopped the truck, they discovered a large amount of cash and two knives in Burton’s pockets. A search of his truck revealed a loaded AR-15 assault-style rifle, a loaded .40-caliber pistol, a vest with several loaded magazines of ammunition and a first-aid kit with trauma bandages and blood-clotting agents, the report said.
The discovery of the weapons, ammunition and medical supplies led police to believe the men were prepared for an assault, the report said.
