Five men arrested after reported break-in and robbery at Stouffer Place apartment

Five men, three of them Kansas University students, were charged Monday in connection with a weekend armed robbery.

KU students Aaron Marquis Thomas, 19, Gabriel Lang McKinney, 18, and Thomas Conner Hampton, 19, all of whom live in Oliver Residence Hall, as well as Branson Jerod Glanton, 18, of Salina, and Kalil Kenyon Gray, 18, of Union City, Ga., were arrested after a Stouffer Place apartment resident reported that three men, one of them armed, forced their way into the apartment and stole a 45-inch television and $30 in cash, KU Police Department spokesman Capt. James Anguiano said.

Thomas, McKinney and Gray are suspected of committing the crime and were charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

Hampton and Glanton are suspected of plotting the crime and going with the other men to the apartment complex. They are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

Douglas County District Judge James George set varying bonds for the men. McKinney’s bond was set at $50,000. Bonds for both Thomas and Grey were set at $75,000.

George pointed to McKinney’s lack of criminal history and his family’s support as justification for the lower bond. McKinney’s parents drove down from South Dakota after the incident and plan to unenroll him from KU, said Michael Clark, McKinney’s attorney.

George imposed a higher bond for Grey, who does not have a criminal history, because he does not have local ties. Thomas’s higher bond was set because of a theft conviction from 2013 and a juvenile drug possession conviction, George said.

Hampton’s bond was set at $15,000 and Glanton’s bond was set at $40,000. Hampton, whose mother drove from Salina for the court proceeding, received a lower bond because of his family’s support. Neither man had a criminal history, according to Assistant Douglas County District Attorney Katy Britton.

The men were arrested after a member of the public provided a tip after KU police issued an alert Sunday morning informing students and faculty of the alleged incident and giving descriptions of the suspects.

All except Hampton will make their next appearance in court Wednesday. Hampton will return to court on Nov. 12.