Three Kingston men are facing felony robbery charges after police say they cornered a man walking from a store on Broadway before dawn, forced him to give up his bank card PIN, and held him in a secluded spot while one of them withdrew cash at a nearby ATM using the card. The victim managed to break free when the men tried to move him to another location, then ran to safety and called 911.
According to the Daily Freeman, the confrontation began around 4:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, when the three men approached the individual as he walked from a store on Broadway. Police allege the men forced him to a secluded spot off Broadway, took his wallet and cellphone, and pressured him into revealing the PIN code for his debit card. Two of the men allegedly held the victim in place while the third slipped away to a nearby ATM and withdrew cash using the stolen card, per the same account.
The victim's escape came when the group tried to force him to walk to a different location, according to News12 Hudson Valley. He broke away, fled, and called 911 once he reached safety.
Arrests Come a Day Later
Kingston police arrested the three suspects on Monday, Sept. 21. The Daily Freeman's report identifies one of the men as Michael S. Spiecker, while News12's account spells the name Mickael S. Spiecker; Hoodline could not independently confirm which spelling is correct. The other two men arrested were identified as Shareal N. Brown and Dustin G. VanEtten, according to News12, which listed Spiecker and Brown as 40 and 27 years old respectively, and VanEtten also as 27.
All three were charged with felony first-degree robbery and misdemeanor unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, the report notes.
All Three Had Open Cases at Time of Arrest
Police say Spiecker and Brown were both on parole for burglary at the time of the alleged robbery, while VanEtten was out on bail for a previous robbery charge, the station's report indicates. After being processed at Kingston Police Headquarters, the three men were arraigned in Ulster County Centralized Arraignment Part Court and remanded to Ulster County Jail, where all three remained held as of Thursday.
