Second teen charged in Middletown shooting death

A second Middletown teen has been charged with murder in a shooting death that happened earlier this month.

Middletown police booked a 17-year-old boy into the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center on the evening of Oct. 13, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Stewart II. He is charged with murder and participation in a criminal gang.

The 17-year-old drove Cameron Kyles and others to the Stewart residence on Ninth Avenue and parked in the alley, according court records. Kyles then went into the house, shot Stewart and stole cash and marijuana, investigators say.

Kyles, 18, was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on Friday for aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault and having weapons under disability for the death of Stewart, according to the indictment.

The complaint against the 17-year-old filed by Detective Kristi Hughes states that “the defendant is a known Road Runner-8 ball Crip gang member.”

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The juvenile was arraigned last week and ordered to remain in the detention center. He is scheduled to be back in juvenile court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing.

Evidence, including guns and a plastic bag of bullets, were found and seized by police at the teen’s residence.

Kyles confessed to the fatal shooting of Stewart, according to court documents. According to a search warrant affidavit signed Hughes, after police found Stewart dead at his home, Kyles was developed as a suspect.

“Cameron Kyles admitted to being the person who killed Michael Stewart,” the detective said in the court documents.

At the time Kyles was also wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor for an indictment in a drug case and for participation in a gang. Both indictments were handed down in the summer.

Hughes said in the search warrant that “it is believed that through GPS of ankle monitor that this will confirm the series of events on the date of Michael Stewart’s death.”

The GPS ankle monitor was seized by police.

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Kyles was taken into custody at a Sharon Court address after detectives tracked his ankle monitor, according to court documents. Seized in a search of that residence was a counterfeit $100 bill, a cell phone, electronics and money.

At Stewart’s residence, police seized four 9mm shell casings, a projectile, two gold necklaces, two cell phones and a home security system, according to court documents.

Stewart was found dead at about 9:57 p.m. Police made a traffic stop a short time later that was suspected to be connected to the homicide, according to court documents.

Detectives said several subjects had been “conducting robberies on drug dealers. Detectives were made aware of a traffic stop conducted by officers shortly after the murder,” according to the documents.

Middletown Major Scott Reeve said Stewart’s shooting is part of ongoing gang activity. Kyles is believed to be part of the Road Runner gang that has been involved in shootings and homicides in the city in recent years.

Kyles was indicted in June on a charge of participating in a criminal gang for allegedly burning an item taken from a memorial of Joseph Davis, 17, who was shot and killed in May 2018 as part of ongoing gang activity, according to police.

Gonnii White, 17, was convicted in June of Davis’ murder with specifications for the use of a firearm and participating in a gang. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 21 years.

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According to Middletown Detective Kristi Hughes, Kyles posted a video himself on social media burning a stuffed animal taken from Davis’ memorial and making gang signs and gang affiliation comments. That led to the indictment.

Kyles is scheduled to be in court on the gang charge next month for a pre-trial hearing.

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