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Longmont man suspected of hosting underage drinking party earlier this month now suspected of Fort Collins armed robberyLONGMONT, Nov 20, 2012 (Daily Times-Call - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Longmont police arrested four men at gunpoint early Tuesday morning after receiving word from Fort Collins police that the men were suspected of using a gun during a home-invasion robbery in the college town. Mark Evan Lipford, 20, who was arrested in Longmont earlier this month on suspicion of hosting a party at which about 40 people were arrested on suspicion of underage drinking or use of marijuana, is among the suspects in the robbery. He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary and aggravated robbery, both felonies, according to the Fort Collins Police Department. Robert Burke-Lawrence, 20, Roman Owens, 21, and Cameron Herbert, 19, were also arrested on suspicion of the same charges, Fort Collins police reported. According to Longmont police, Fort Collins officers stopped the vehicle Lipford was driving as it left the area of a robbery at 1412 Skyline Drive in Fort Collins. The officer reportedly allowed the men to leave because they did not initially fit the description of the robbers, according to a Longmont police report. Fort Collins police were called to the address on a report that four men forcefully entered the home, one pulled a gun, and two of five people who were already in the home were assaulted during the robbery. After Fort Collins police stopped the vehicle and allowed the four men to leave, they determined the men were likely involved in the robbery and the plate on the car was registered to a Longmont address. Longmont police were notified and an officer waited near Lipford's home at 2260 11th Avenue until he saw the green Honda Civic described by Fort Collins police. The officer stopped the car in front of Lipford's home and ordered the men out at gunpoint because of the information that there was likely a gun in the car, according to reports. The men complied and all four were arrested when other officers arrived. Longmont police searched the car and found a Hi-Point 9mm handgun and a cardboard box containing several bags of marijuana, police reported. The car was impounded and all four men were turned over to the custody of the Fort Collins police, according to reports. Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273 or [email protected]. ___ (c)2012 the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) Visit the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) at www.timescall.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |