Three Arrested for Armed Robbery

Two women and a man are behind bars Wednesday after an armed robbery at the Econo Lodge Motel in Columbia.Police say 39-year-old Samuel E. Haley, 21-year-old Lashanda S. Marine, and 24-year-old Whitney E. McKee robbed two motel guests with a handgun around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. The victims told officers that they had arranged to meet the two women for prostitution, but as the women were leaving, Haley entered the motel room with a gun and demanded money.Officers later found the suspects’ car at a home on Leeway Drive. Cops say it took the suspects several hours to leave the residence. Haley, Marine and McKee were all arrested for first degree armed robbery with bond amounts not set yet.