Man arrested Monday in connection with Cape Girardeau taxi robbery

The second member of a duo that allegedly robbed a taxi driver in Cape Girardeau last month was arrested Monday.

Lovester Hines Jr., 21, faces charges of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action related to an incident Nov. 21.

Hines' alleged partner, Netfa E. Simmons, 19, was arrested shortly after the robbery, following a police search. Charges of first-degree robbery were filed against Simmons on Nov. 22.

Just before midnight Nov. 21, Cape Girardeau police responded to the intersection of College and Asher streets to a reported robbery in progress, according to a probable-cause statement by Detective Jim Smith.

When they arrived, they spoke with the victim, a 27-year-old female taxi driver working for the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority Authority.

She said her two customers, who called and asked for a ride, robbed her at gunpoint.

The driver told police she'd picked up the pair near 535 Asher St., and they sat in the back of her vehicle, side by side.

When the driver informed them they'd need to pay the $7 for fare up front, they said they had no money and would have to pay when she dropped them off at their destination, the statement said.

As the driver turned to face the two passengers, she saw the man fumble in his front coat pocket and feared she was about to get robbed, she told police.

As she turned back to the road, she felt a hard object pressed to the back of her head.

She believed it was a gun because it felt cold and metallic against her skin, she told police.

The female assailant then demanded money, the statement said.

The driver told police she pleaded with the pair to reconsider their actions, saying God loved them.

The victim said she turned over her purse to the man, and he dumped the contents on the seat, taking about $35 in all, some belonging to the victim and some to the transit authority.

The victim said the man and woman fled west.

She provided officers with a physical description.

An officer located Simmons in a nearby field, but she allegedly shed the clothing matching the victim's description a short distance away. A police canine was used to trace the scent back to the spot the robbery was reported, and found the coat and cap the victim said was worn by the female assailant, said Sgt. Barry Hovis, spokesman for the police department.

Simmons identified her male accomplice as Hines during a later interview, police said.

Simmons said she met up with Hines that night and they planned to take a cab to the Billiard Center, but she didn't know he intended to rob the driver, according to the statement.

Simmons confirmed Hines had used a handgun to commit the crime, the statement said.

Simmons is held at the Cape Girardeau County Jail on $50,000 cash or surety. Bond for Hines was set at $75,000 cash or surety.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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