By Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men on Friday, Feb. 12 who were suspects in a Gatlinburg, Tenn. robbery where the men are accused of holding a three-year old child at gun and knife point to take contents of a safe.

Polk County Deputies with the PACE Team (Polk Aggressive Criminal Enforcement) saw a suspicious vehicle travelling through Columbus on Friday and stopped the vehicle, according to sheriff reports.

Steven Trentham, 32, of Pigeon Forge, Tenn. was arrested and charged with being a fugitive from Tennessee involving the robbery, according to sheriff reports.

Justin McGill, 27, of Sevierville, Tenn. was arrested and charged with being a fugitive from Tennessee involving the robbery, according to sheriff reports.

Mathew Perkins, 33, of Pigeon Forge, Tenn. was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, according to sheriff reports.

The officers found three male subjects in the vehicle with officers saying they observed inconsistencies in the suspects’ information as well as nervous behavior.

Deputies discovered a small amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, according to sheriff reports.

“The officers took the investigation further and made contact with officials in Gatlinburg, Tenn. based on information they had obtained about the individuals,” said Lt. Lowell Griffin with the sheriff’s office in a press release issued Friday. “The officers, working in conjunction with the officials from Gatlinburg determined that two of the three were suspects of a robbery that had occurred at a restaurant in Gatlinburg. During the robbery the suspects used a gun and a knife to threaten the life of a three-year old child forcing the restaurant operator to surrender the contents of a safe to them.”

Tennessee officials issued arrest warrants for suspects who the Polk County Sheriff’s Office apprehended during the traffic stop without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

All three were still being held at the Polk County Jail as of Friday afternoon. Trentham was in jail under a $350,000 bond, McGill was being held under a $350,000 secured bond and Perkins was in jail under a $1,000 secured bond, according to sheriff reports.