A teen got an unpleasant surprise after meeting 2 girls at a Benton City park

A trio of teens are accused of luring a man and his friend out to a Benton City park and robbing them.

Joel Ramos Mendoza, 19, Julio C. Cuevas, 18, and Olivia G. Clayton, 17, all of Benton City, are all accused of taking part in a robbery plot that started with a meeting at a Walmart and ended with a chase near Prosser.

Ramos Mendoza and Cuevas are being held in lieu of $100,000 bail in the Benton County jail.

Clayton has been bailed out of the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center.

They have been each charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.

In addition, the teens have been ordered to stay away from their two victims.

Defense attorney Karla Kane held off against arguing for a lower bail for Ramos Mendoza, but she did ask for Cuevas to be released during their first hearing last week.

She pointed out that Cuevas has never been in trouble with the law before, and barely turned 18. He has enrolled in a cosmetology school.

Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Grandgeorge said the teens engaged in a conspiracy, and messages between Clayton and Cuevas refer to their victim as the “guy they are about to rob.”

Judge Norma Rodriguez agreed that the men could pose a serious threat to the community and set the bail at $100,000.

Robbery plot

The plan allegedly started after a 19-year-old man met Clayton and another girl at the Richland Walmart. It’s not clear how or why they met, but court documents say that he started exchanging Instagram messages with Clayton.

Then he agreed to meet the girls at a Benton City park on July 12, according to court documents.

What he didn’t know was that Clayton was allegedly working with Cuevas and Ramos Mendoza to arrange the robbery. The other girl also went to the park but is not believed to have been involved in the robbery.

The 19-year-old brought along a friend to the park to meet the two women about 2 a.m. As the two men were talking with Clayton and her friend, Ramos Mendoza and Cuevas allegedly came out of the nearby trees, wearing masks.

They asked the 19-year-old if he had any crack, and the teen responded he didn’t. After a short exchange, the men pulled out handguns and robbed the 19-year-old and his friend of their phones and other valuables, court documents said.

Investigators said Ramos Mendoza and Cuevas then fled in the victim’s 2006 Kia Optima.

The Kia was spotted stopping at Babs and Chris avenues. Investigators found multiple cellphones in that area.

Chase

Prosser police spotted the Kia Optima about 10 minutes after hearing about the robbery and tried to stop it. The car’s driver didn’t stop and a chase began.

The car broke down near Highway 22 and Byron Road and two men ran from the car.

Officers searched the area for the men, but didn’t find them. A homeowner in the area did find a blue ski mask, a ripped pair of surgical gloves, a bottle of cologne and a pair of jeans with a belt, court documents said.

Police spotted a pistol inside the car and took it in custody for safekeeping, court documents said.

While they were at the car, Ramos Mendoza’s father arrived. He had been told that his son’s cellphone was in the area. When a deputy called the number, a cellphone in the car lit up.

When police searched the car, they also found Clayton’s cellphone. A search of Clayton’s phone turned up the series of messages between her and the two men about the robbery.