BOND DENIED!

A Circuit Court judge has denied bond to six young men accused in a home invasion and robbery that occurred on Providence Road in April - at least for the next 90 days.

The Gaffney Police Department charged a total of eight men in the April 2 incident during which several people forced their way into a woman's home, held the 32- year-old woman at gunpoint and knifepoint, assaulted her and then stole her keys to a convenience store where they stole cash boxes. All eight men face charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary and grand larceny.

On May 27, five of the men appeared before Circuit Court Judge Mark Hayes for bond hearings and a sixth man appeared before the judge June 23.

In an order handed down Thursday afternoon, Judge Hayes denied bond for all six men: Robert L.Wilson Jr., 19, of Brookwood Drive; Billy Rodgers, 19, of Peeler Street; Kendrick Rashad Tate, 18, of Winchester Drive; Terry Deon Littlejohn, 18, of Jolly Drive; and Kwame Rashad Douglas, 17, of Bonner Lake Road; and 17-yearold Labrontae Agnew, of Chandler Drive.

Judge Hayes had noted in court May 27 and June 23 that he wanted to review any statements the men gave to investigators to help assess their alleged levels of involvement.

Their attorneys had argued their roles were minimal. In his ruling Thursday, Judge Hayes wrote that he had not received any of the statements and therefore couldn't determine whether any of the men had a diminished level of culpability.

"Even though the attorneys representing the various defendants argued their respective clients each had a diminished level of culpability in the alleged criminal activity, because of the numerous and apparently undisputed facts, along with the manner of the presentation of the bond hearing, this Court views all of the defendants equally for the purposes of a pre-trial factor of 'a danger to the community.'"

Because the cases still are new, Judge Hayes directed prosecutors and defense attorneys to exchange evidence and other information, which is standard in legal proceedings. Afterwards, the judge ruled, all six men may request new bond hearings. They can't make such requests for 90 days, though.

"The Court's desire is that the facts of the individual's involvement with the apparent uncontested criminal activity can be established with some degree of clarity," the judge wrote.

A seventh man accused in the home invasion, 17-year-old John Bonner, is being held in North Carolina on unrelated charges.

The eighth man, 22-year-old Joshua Manning, was arrested May 30 in Greenville County. His case has not yet come before the court for a bond hearing.