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Men accused in Centralia robbery indicted by grand jury, get additional charges

Nicholas Hunt (left) and Curtis Russell
Boone County Sheriff's Office
Nicholas Hunt (left) and Curtis Russell

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men who were accused of robbing a Centralia home in May 2023 were indicted on Friday by a grand jury.

Curtis Lamar Russell, 45, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, stealing more than $750 and third-degree assault. He was initially charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and armed criminal action.

An arraignment for the new charges is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 29. Russell is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

Nicholas Burr Hunt, 36, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, third-degree assault and stealing. He was initially charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, third-degree assault, armed-criminal action and unlawful gun possession.

Hunt is also being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and has an arraignment set for 1:30 p.m. Monday.

According to previous reporting, Russell and Hunt allegedly broke into a home and hit the victim in the face. Hunt and Russell then allegedly stole a wallet and $600, according to the probable cause statement.

Another victim was allegedly also hit in the face by Hunt, the statement says. Hunt and Russell then allegedly took a television and a power tool set. The first victim allegedly told police that Hunt had a knife and threatened to cut his throat.

GPS monitoring and surveillance video allegedly showed Hunt and Russell at a nearby convenient store before the robbery, according to the probable cause statement.

A probation violation hearing for Russell is also set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 29. Russell pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2021, for illegal gun possession and was sentenced to five years of supervised probation with a suspended sentence of seven years. He also pleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2022, to stealing $750 or more and was sentenced to five years of probation and a seven-year suspended sentence.

In another case out of Macon County, Russell pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2022, to stealing $750 or more. He was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and a seven-year suspended sentence.

In another case, Russell was charged with drug possession in Boone County.

Hunt also has two other active cases. In one case, he was charged with resisting arrest, illegal gun possession and delivery of a controlled substance. In another case, he was charged with resisting arrest. An arraignment for those charges is also set for 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Article Topic Follows: Crime

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Ryan Shiner

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