Two charged in four Hilton Head robberies

Two men have been charged with a string of armed robberies at Hilton Head Island restaurants, and authorities are trying to determine if they were involved in two incidents where female bar employees were assaulted and robbed.

Coltrane D'Saon Miller, 33, of Hilton Head Island and Morris F. Stewart, 26, of Bluffton are charged with multiple counts of armed robbery in connection with four robberies over the past several weeks, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

The robberies occurred at Outback Steakhouse, Subway, the Latino Store and Reilley's North End Pub in Port Royal Plaza.

In the Reilley's incident Sept. 24, a bartender was tied up by two men and robbed at gunpoint, said Cpl. Robin McIntosh, sheriff spokeswoman.

Miller faces possible kidnapping charges stemming from the incident, McIntosh said. Stewart was not charged in that crime; a second suspect has not yet been identified, McIntosh said.

Investigators are trying to determine if robberies Sept. 8 in the parking lot at Rum Runners Bar at Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort and Sept. 14 in the parking lot at Vic's Tavern in Pineland Station are related to the four other robberies.

"We haven't been able to connect them to these," McIntosh said. "There may be further charges for both of them."

In the Sept. 8 incident, a 33-year-old Rum Runners employee was robbed and assaulted around 9 p.m. as she walked to her car after closing the bar, officers said. In the Sept. 14 incident, two female employees of Vic's Tavern were robbed at gunpoint by three men around 2:30 a.m. as they walked through the parking lot after closing.

Miller, who has been in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center since a Nov. 5 arrest for a probation violation, has been charged with three counts of armed robbery, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of attempted armed robbery.

His bond has been set at $125,000, according to the jail log.

The charges stem from armed robberies at the Latino Store at 119 Mathews Drive, Outback Steakhouse at 20 Hatton Place and Reilley'sNorth End Pub, the Sheriff's Office said.

Stewart, who was arrested around 5 p.m. Friday, has been charged with three counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of attempted armed robbery, the Sheriff's Office said. His bond is $120,000, according to the jail log.The charges stem from robberies at the Latino Store, Outback Steakhouse and Subway at 437 William Hilton Parkway, the Sheriff's Office said.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said elements of the two robberies involving female bar employees were still under investigation, but he said that residents should feel safer with the recent arrests for the other robberies.

"Investigators have done a tremendous job," Tanner said. "Hopefully, the community will feel better and safer now that these two are in custody."

ARMED ROBBERIES IN WHICH ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE:

• Sept. 24, Reilley's North End Pub in Port Royal Plaza

• Oct. 12, the Latino Store, 119 Mathews Drive

• Oct. 28, Outback Steakhouse, 20 Hatton Place

• Nov. 6, Subway, 437 William Hilton Parkway

ARMED ROBBERIES BEING INVESTIGATED:

• Sept. 8, parking lot of Rum Runners Bar at Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort

• Sept. 14, parking lot of Vic's Tavern in Pineland Station