Police in Stuart late this (Friday) afternoon released details about an attempted armed robbery that occurred prior to the robbery of a motel in Cass County. Officials says at around 10:10-p.m. Thursday, an armed robbery was reported at the AmericInn located in the 400 block of SW 8th Street in Stuart. Two black males entered the business brandishing a handgun and demanded money from a female clerk at the hotel. The suspects left without any money.

The same suspects were allegedly involved in the armed robbery of the America’s Best Value Inn located just south of I-80 in Cass County, about 90 minutes later.  The suspects allegedly involved in the second robbery got away with an undetermined amounts of cash. Their spree ended just after midnight, Friday, near the intersection of I-80/680, after they crashed a vehicle they allegedly stole from an Omaha car rental agency during a high speed pursuit near Crescent.

The State Patrol says the vehicle reached speeds up to 130-miles per hour during the pursuit.  Both suspects, identified as brothers 38-year old Courtney and 24-year old Remo Bennett, of Omaha, were injured in the crash. Remo Bennett, who was a passenger in the car, was partially ejected from the vehicle and was listed in critical condition at Alegent Creighton University Medical Center.  Courtney Bennett was listed in stable condition at Alegent Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs.

Courtney Bennett was wanted on warrants out of Mills County for 1st degree theft, and is a suspect in several area burglaries. According to reports, he’s been in and out of prison several times since 1994. Twice it was for theft by receiving stolen property, another time it was for being a felon in possession of a gun. He spent close to 10 years in Nebraska prisons and had been released last December. Both men will be taken into custody once they are released from their respective hospitals.