Mentor police caught some not-so-smart criminals after they posted stolen merchandise on a buy-sell-trade Facebook page.
According to police, two women responded to the 7100 block of Mentor Avenue around 7 p.m. Sunday to purchase a phone they saw on the Buy-Sell-Trade Lake County Facebook page.
While the female seller was meeting with the women to show them the phone, a man wearing a mask over his face grabbed one of the women by the throat and put a handgun to her head. He demanded cash and both of their phones, then tossed their keys away.
Police found one of the stolen phones at a self-serve buy-back location inside a local mall. On Sunday, the other phone was posted for sale on the same Facebook page that the original phone was posted.
Mentor officers continued to bid on the phone until they won and then met the suspects in the 9300 block of Mentor Avenue to purchase it.
Anthony Williams, 25 of Chardon, and Paige Mazny, 19 of Painesville, were arrested at the scene.
Williams was charged with aggravated robbery. Mazny was charged with complicity to aggravated robbery.
On Tuesday, bond was set at $500,00 for both suspects.
Mentor police encourage online sellers and purchasers to meet in a public place, like in front of the local police department.
