Last month, two robberies of UW students, one Jan. 10 and one Jan. 17, were among several crimes reported in the U-District. What wasn’t known until last week was these two robberies were connected.

On Friday, three U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Lewis were charged with the related crimes and face time in prison if convicted.

Pfc. Chad Braden, 19, and Pvt. Robert Lucas, Jr., 20, were both charged with two counts of first-degree robbery occurring Jan. 10 and 17, while Pfc. Raymond Burrows III, 21, was charged with one count of first-degree robbery occurring Jan. 10. A $100,000 bail has been set for each of the three men.

According to charging documents, two UW students reported a robbery to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) at 2:07 a.m. Jan. 10. They had been walking in the 4500 block of 16th Ave. N.E. toward their fraternity house when they were stopped by the three suspects. One suspect pulled out a semi-automatic pistol, pulled a ski mask over his face, pointed the gun at one of the students and demanded that both students hand over their cell phones and wallets.

The students took out their cell phones and wallets.

“Hurry up,” one suspect said while another took their belongings. “Do what you’re told.”

One student had $25 in Canadian currency and $140 in U.S. currency taken.

The charging documents also state that on Jan. 17, at about 2:30 a.m., two other UW students reported to SPD that they’d left their house to go to Chevron when they were stopped by suspects Braden and Lucas and assaulted. One was then chased home by Braden.

Sophomore Ben Sedenquist, who was in the alley next to the Sigma Nu fraternity at the time, saw the student being chased by Braden.

“We thought it was a joke until I heard the guy screaming,” Sedenquist said. “I ran up, and the victim was on the ground, the assailant was hovering over him and beating him with his fist and gun; ... when I got about five to 10 feet away he jolted, stood up, looked really shocked and pointed the gun at me. I think he was more scared of my presence than me of his.”

The student was treated by the Seattle Fire Department at the scene for injuries to his face and head and was later transported to the University of Washington Medical Center.

In the days following the second robbery, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division (CID) received a tip from a private at Fort Lewis, who told CID that Lucas said he and Burrows had “robbed an individual at gun point in the University District neighborhood of Seattle, where they pistol whipped the victim and that he yelled, ‘Help’ as he was beat. Lucas then proceeded to hold up Canadian currency claiming that the currency had been taken from the victim and proceeded to laugh about the robbery,” according to the charging documents.

Special Agent Smith of CID contacted SPD Detective Mike Magan to check if such a robbery had taken place. Smith told Magan they had taken $25 Canadian currency from Braden during their investigation into the tip.

According to a press release dated Feb. 3 on the SPD’s public relations Web site, Braden and Lucas were arrested Feb. 3 for the armed robbery Jan. 17 and were booked into King County Jail.

On Feb. 4, Lucas called Magan and asked to be brought to the SPD Robbery Office where he confessed to the robbery that occurred Jan. 10.

“The Army is a values-based organization, and Fort Lewis officials emphasize that the crimes alleged in this case are contrary to those core values of service to the nation,” read the press release from the I Corps and Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office. “The Army is keenly aware of the trust placed in our soldiers by the greater Puget Sound community and will always cooperate fully with local law enforcement authorities anytime soldier conduct appears to violate that trust.”

The CID said it will continue to cooperate with SPD as necessary during the ongoing investigation surrounding this case.

Sedenquist said he is alarmed by the recent increase in violent crime in the U-District.

“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster sometimes,” he said. “You have students walking around who are almost asking for it; you know, when they’re walking around late at night, they don’t think about this stuff, but it happens almost every week.”

In an e-mail, Ian Goodhew, King County Prosecutor’s Office deputy chief of staff, said arraignment for the defendants is set for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 19 at the King County Courthouse.

If convicted, Braden and Lucas face eight-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half years in prison. Burrows faces seven-and-a half to eight-and-a-half years in prison if convicted.

Reach reporter Camden Swita at news@dailyuw.com.