One of three people from the Twin Cities area accused of robbing a Rochester man last summer pleaded guilty Friday in Olmsted County District Court to two felonies.
Tyenisha Monique Pemble, 22, of Cottage Grove, was charged in July with three counts of first-degree aid and abet burglary and one count of simple robbery. She entered guilty pleas to the robbery charge and one count of of burglary. The other two burglary counts are expected to be dismissed.
Her sentencing has been set for Oct. 17.
The criminal complaint against the three alleges the following:
On July 6, 2012, a Rochester man told police he'd been robbed after picking up a woman from an escort service he'd found through Backpage.com. The man had exchanged text messages with a woman, making arrangements to meet in Rochester, where he'd pay $400 for a massage.
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The two met at a restaurant parking lot; the woman — later identified as Pemble — appeared to be alone in her vehicle, then got into the alleged victim's car for the drive to his house. During the massage, the complaint continues, Pemble's phone rang twice; the man began to feel "uneasy" because of her behavior.
About 15 minutes later, someone knocked at the door several times; the man ignored it, but said Pemble insisted on answering the door. At the door, a white female — Anna Marie Vadnais, 21 — pushed the man aside and a man, later identified as Travis Malik Galtney, 28, came in behind her carrying a handgun, according to the complaint. The alleged victim said he was pushed to the couch; Vadnais searched his pockets as Pemble held a knife and asked for more money. Galtney allegedly tried to take a gold bracelet off the man's wrist, but was unable to.
The three ran out of the home with $1,000 in cash; the victim chased them and saw the same vehicle Pemble had arrived in earlier, the complaint says.
He assisted with identifying the three through the Backpage.com advertisement and his cellphone records, and the Special Enforcement Unit in the Twin Cities was advised of the robbery and its possible relation to prostitution.
Maplewood police later arrested Pemble during a prostitution operation in their city; she admitted to posting the ad and meeting with the Rochester man, the report says. She allegedly said Vadnais and Galtney forced their way into the man's residence and robbed him, but denied knowing anything about the plan.
Vadnais and Galtney each face identical charges. Vadnais pleaded not guilty to all counts on Aug. 23; Galtney's next appearance is set for Oct. 1. They've been released on their own recognizance.
