Armed robbery suspect arrested on gov.’s warrant
A North Carolina man sought in connection with the 2015 armed robbery of a local woman was extradited back to Hot Springs Monday after a governor’s warrant was issued.
Devonte Vashone Fulgham, 26, who lists a Whittier, N.C., address, was served Tuesday with warrants for aggravated robbery, a felony punishable by up to life in prison, and theft of property under $1,000, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
Fulgham, who also had warrants for failure to appear and probation violations,
was being held on zero bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept.
13, 2015, a local woman told Hot Springs police she had been robbed by a black male she knew only as “Sunny” at around 7:30 p.m. outside a residence in the 400 block of Alcorn Street.
She said she had called “Sunny” for a ride to work earlier that day and when he arrived he was a passenger in a dark-colored SUV. She said she got into the back seat and immediately noticed a strong odor “she could not stand” so she got back out and declined the ride.
She said “Sunny” got out and pressed a silver semi-automatic handgun against her chest and removed $180 in cash from the side of her bra. He accidentally dropped the money on the ground and when he bent forward to get it, the victim pushed the gun away.
She said “Sunny” then put the gun against her stomach and said, “Get the (expletive) back, (expletive)! I will kill you!” At that point, he got back in the SUV with her money and the driver backed down the street and drove away.
On Oct. 4, 2015, the woman called police to report that the suspect who had robbed her was at Boot Scooters, 421 Broadway St. Police were later able to identify the person she was referring to as Fulgham.
On Oct. 13, 2015, the victim came to the police department and reportedly picked Fulgham out of a photo lineup “without hesitation and with 100 percent confidence,” the affidavit states.
After further investigation, a warrant for Fulgham on the robbery and theft charges was issued on Jan. 26, 2016. On July
2, 2019, a governor’s warrant was issued for his arrest in North Carolina at the request of Garland County Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence.