Watertown man allegedly mugged by four soldiers

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2012

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Four Fort Drum soldiers were jailed Friday after they allegedly mugged a city man late Thursday in the 600 block of Boyd Street.

The victim, Paul E. LaDuke, who lists his address as his business place, 1057 Arsenal St., was robbed of $150 while being knocked down, punched and kicked by the four men, police said.

Arrests were made at a house near the scene 26 minutes after the 11:58 p.m. incident.

Charged with second-degree counts of robbery and assault are Tori K. Vick, 24, of 138 W. Main St., from Bronx; William M. Payne, 26, of 617 Boyd St., a Maryland native; Terrell A. Sweet, 22, of 1815 Olmsted Drive, Apt. 203-A, born in North Carolina; and Ben D. Combs, 22, of 709 Phalen Drive, Apt. B, Copenhagen, from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They were taken to the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building following their arraignments before part-time City Judge Catherine J. Palermo, who set bail for each at $5,000.

Police said Mr. LaDuke, 34, suffered multiple cuts, forehead bruises and a bloody nose. Guilfoyle Ambulance was called to the scene, and he was taken to Samaritan Medical Center. He left the emergency room without being treated, however, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

He is co-owner of Audio Arsenal, 1057 Arsenal St.

Police said the four suspects came off the front porch of Mr. Payne’s residence and surrounded Mr. LaDuke on the street, at the edge of a parking lot. Mr. LaDuke told police his attackers said they would stop the assault when he surrendered his cash, and he complied.

Police said that following the assault, the suspects returned to the Payne residence and then attempted to run when they saw police. They were apprehended quickly.

One of the suspects told police they were at the house “playing beer pong and getting drunk,” a court document said.