Gulfport man pleads guilty to assault, robbery of elderly woman

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - 34-year-old Andrew James Treadaway of Gulfport has pleaded guilty to armed robbery, burglary of a dwelling and aggravated assault.

Authorities originally took Treadaway into custody on October 23, 2020 after responding to an assault complaint on the 4000 block of Glover Street around 8 a.m. that morning. Upon arrival, officers found a 78-year-old woman suffering from serious yet nonthreatening injuries.

Further investigation would find that Treadaway and his wife, 43-year-old Sumer Ree Treadaway, forced their way into the woman’s home after knocking on her door and claiming to be there with the intent of returning money he had borrowed. The two then proceeded to bind the victim with tape and demand money from her. After stealing miscellaneous items from the victim, including her television and purse, Treadaway and his wife took the victim’s car and fled.

Gulfport Police Department would discover that Treadaway had attempted to use a stolen debit card in D’Iberville. With this information, a deputy with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department was able to locate Treadaway driving the stolen vehicle on I-10. During the traffic stop, Treadaway and his wife were arrested, and most of the victim’s property was recovered.

Sumer Ree Treadaway, who was released on bond, would be taken back into custody almost a year later after being accused of setting fire to two homes and burglarizing one of the residences.

At the plea, Andrew Treadaway stated that he was high on spice and meth. He also stated he planned to sell the stolen items to buy more drugs.

“We are thankful the Gulfport Police Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the D’Iberville Police Department were able to work together to locate and arrest Treadaway and his wife after committing these violent crimes,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker in a statement. “Their quick responses and thorough investigation were instrumental in bringing Treadaway to justice, We hope this conviction and sentence will help bring closure to the criminal case and aid in the healing process for the victim after suffering through these terrible crimes.”

Treadaway, who is currently serving a 16-year sentence for previous home burglaries, was sentenced an additional 30 years as a habitual offender by Judge Lisa Dodson.

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