Wednesday, April 3, 2002
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Wednesday, April 3, 2002 |
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Twins face murder, robbery charges Father of 3 killed in crash as he waited for traffic light By JOHN MUNFORD
Two brothers remain in the Fayette County jail after a magistrate denied them bail on multiple felony charges during a hearing Tuesday. Melvin Edward Mitchell, 22, of Atlanta, and Marvin Edwin Mitchell, 22, of Jonesboro, face felony murder charges for the Sunday night death of Union City veterinarian Jason Andrew Trotman, who had just finished a shift at the Southern Crescent Animal Hospital in Fayetteville. The two suspects fled a pursuing Fayetteville police officer after robbing the Fayetteville Ingles supermarket at gunpoint late Sunday night, police said. The chase reached speeds of 110 miles per hour moments before their vehicle struck and killed Trotman, who was waiting for the traffic light to change at the intersection of North Jeff Davis Drive and Ga. Highway 85, police said. The officer paced their vehicle at 110 mph on North Jeff Davis Drive, according to warrants filed by the Fayetteville Police Department. The speed limit in that area is 35 mph. The Mitchells, who are twin brothers, also face charges of armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and false imprisonment. Melvin Mitchell, who was identified by police as the driver, was also charged with fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to maintain lane, leaving the scene of an auto accident and reckless driving. The accident killed Trotman as the father of three was driving home after voluntarily working a longer shift at the 24-hour animal clinic. The Mitchells' Oldsmobile Alero struck Trotman's Nissan Pathfinder on the driver's side, causing it to roll over, according to Fayetteville police. The accident is being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol, which filed some of the warrants on Melvin Mitchell. After the crash, both suspects tried to get away on foot but were apprehended by officers moments later, said Lt. Tom Kirkbride of the Fayetteville Police Department. Trotman was waiting for the light to turn green so he could drive north on Ga. Highway 314, Kirkbride added. No one was seriously injured during the holdup at Ingles, police said. Police recovered approximately $6,500 that was taken in the robbery when the masked suspects entered the store, brandishing weapons and ordering employees around the store, Kirkbride said. As the pair fled the store, a witness in the parking lot passed a description of their car on to police, Kirkbride said. A Fayetteville officer spotted the vehicle, a red 1999 Oldsmobile Alero, as it ran the red light at the intersection of Ga. Highway 92 and Jimmie Mayfield Avenue, Kirkbride said. The officer pursued the vehicle north on Jimmie Mayfield but later slowed down after reaching "excessive speed," Kirkbride said. The officer was close enough to witness the accident when it occurred, Kirkbride added. One of the suspects was treated for minor injuries at Fayette Community Hospital before he was booked at the Fayette County Jail, Kirkbride said. It is a policy of the Fayetteville Police Department to allow vehicle pursuits based on the judgment of the individual officer, Kirkbride said, noting that policy is in line with national police standards.
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