Damion Chavez

The Fort Dodge man charged with killing a South Dakota man in what Fort Dodge Police say was a drug deal gone wrong made his first appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court this morning, after being extradited from Georgia.

Damion L. Chavez, 20, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery after police say he shot Mohammed Yaqoub, 28, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at a house near Tom Thumb Drive Inn on Oct. 11. Yaqoub was found in the front seat of a vehicle at the scene, where he was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts.

Chavez’s bail was set at $6 million cash-only; $5 million for the murder charge and $1 million for the robbery charge.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the defendant on Nov. 1. The Story County Public Defender’s Office has been appointed to provide legal counsel to Chavez.

A deputy sheriff in Lowndes County, Georgia, arrested Chavez on Oct. 13 during a traffic stop on Interstate 75, several miles north of the Florida border.

Tate Martinson, 17, is also accused of robbing Yaqoub in the incident. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon after being referred out of juvenile court.

Police say that information from Martinson indicated the group planned to meet for a drug transaction.

“Based on the evidence obtained and statements made, it was apparent to officers that the defendant or the other party involved in the alleged offense had no method to pay the victim for the controlled substances to be purchased,” Martinson’s criminal complaint says. “The defendant had knowledge that an assault would be committed in order to obtain the controlled substances.”