At first, the story seems all too familiar.

Two Hopewell teenagers rob two pedestrians at gunpoint near a private school, but are quickly caught when responding police officers scour the area and arrest them a few minutes later as they are buying sodas and pastries at a nearby convenience store.

With police boasting about having strong evidence, the teenage brothers are kept in jail for two and a half months — twice refused bond because they are charged with a crime of violence involving a weapon.

But just as suddenly, the case evaporates. The evidence does not stand up, and the brothers are freed to resume their lives.

Welcome to the world of Tabyus Taylor, 19, and TeAndrey Taylor, 18, of Hopewell — popular high school athletes who had earned their share of cheers and, tellingly, had never been in trouble with the law before.

Their case raises troubling questions about police relations with young black males — a critical topic searing communities across the country.

The Taylor brothers are fortunate. On Feb. 23, as their case was about to go before a judge, a special prosecutor backed off. Nothing seemed to add up after she talked with the arresting officers and the victims, who reported that the robbers took from them $50 and a pack of cigarettes.

So instead of going forward, Petersburg Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Cheryl Wilson dropped the robbery and firearm charges lodged against the Taylors in Hopewell General District Court.

It has been a bewildering experience for the two young men who still cannot understand why they would be in the crosshairs of police.

“Why would we have to rob anyone?” Tabyus said in an interview. TeAndrey did not participate in the interview.

Tabyus noted that both he and his brother had jobs, bank accounts and strong family support. Both worked as tutors at Prince George County-based Believe-N-U Academic Development Center, which is owned and operated by their godmother, Demetria R. Jennings.

The brothers’ arrests were high profile in this city that straddles the James and Appomattox rivers 22 miles south of Richmond.

Their mother, Vanette Taylor, is well known for her campaign work for candidates, including Hopewell Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard Newman, who asked for a special prosecutor to handle the case to avoid a conflict.

Just as important, both teens are hometown sports heroes, with TeAndrey playing for a home-school team, the Disciples, and Tabyus winning acclaim for his athletic prowess at Hopewell High School in football and basketball before graduating in 2013.

Hopewell police officials claims the teens’ arrests were solid, insisting that officers charged them based on the victims’ description of the distinctive clothing the robbers were wearing.

The day after the arrest, Hopewell Police Chief John Keohane publicly called the case “very, very strong.”

When asked to comment after the dismissal, Chief Keohane, who initially agreed to talk, later assigned Capt. G.D. Gardner to respond.

Capt. Gardner said the case collapsed when “the two victims did not want to testify. They did not want to cooperate.”

However, among family and friends, suspicion remains that the brothers were tagged because they were the only young, black males out and about when police looked for suspects after getting the robbery report around 11 p.m. Dec. 8.

That suspicion is fueled by the lack of evidence and the way the brothers were treated by authorities.

Tabyus said an officer put a gun to his head at the arrest, saying, “Get on the floor, n*,” before pushing him down.

When the brothers were searched at the store, nothing was found related to the robbery.

The only money found on the brothers was change from the $10 TeAndrey had given the cashier to pay for the sodas and snacks, Tabyus said.

Neither had a gun or anything resembling a gun. Neither owns a gun.

And neither had a pack of cigarettes.

“We’re athletes,” Tabyus said. “We don’t smoke.”

The next day, police found a toy air pistol in the alley behind the store, but no forensic evidence linked the toy gun to the brothers.

Police also found a ski mask and red bandana in the area, but the brothers’ DNA was not found on them. Tests of the clothing the brothers were wearing also had no link to the victims.

And why were they at the store? The brothers said they went to Golden Express, a store two blocks from their sister’s home where they were staying, to get some snacks.

Their unblemished records, however, did not matter. Their achievement in athletics also did not impress police.

Tabyus’ success in sports led him to be recruited by three NCAA Division I universities, including Virginia Tech.

In his senior year, he helped lead the Hopewell Blue Devils into the state football playoffs and won numerous conference honors for his play as a quarterback, receiver and rusher. He also was ranked by ESPN Recruiting Nation among the top 30 high school players in Virginia.

For the past six months, he has been working on improving his scores on the ACT college admission test in a bid to qualify for a college football scholarship.

TeAndrey, meanwhile, had won his own share of acclaim with the Disciples. He had enrolled in Hopewell High School for his senior year, but still played with the home-school team. Just before the arrest, he had gone with the team to Florida to play in a tournament.

Tabyus said that being locked up in Riverside Regional Jail for 72 days was an experience “I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

He had to adjust to being told what to do every minute of every day. He and his brother were separated in different areas of the jail.

“The food was so nasty I never ate it,” Tabyus said. He gave his food away and survived on Honey Buns and other snacks he bought at the canteen. His godmother said she spent $70 a week to ensure he had money to pay for the snacks.

He said the jail was cold. He said he had a hard time sleeping on the thin cot with just one blanket to ward off the chill.

“It was very stressful,” he said, recalling how he would constantly pace the floor.

“It felt real good getting out,” he said, smiling about the enthusiastic reception he and his brother received from a crowd of 40 relatives and friends who greeted them upon their release Feb. 23.

“It was just a waste of 72 days. It was a real waste of 72 days.” 

The brothers now are working to overcome the disruption that the arrests have caused. Their family is trying to get the charges expunged from their records.

TeAndrey has missed so much school that he has dropped out.

He did not take any classes while at Riverside Regional Jail. He still lives in Hopewell and is trying to find a way to finish his final high school year.

Tabyus, meanwhile, stays out of Hopewell. For now, he is living with his godmother and her son, Jarius Richardson, in Prince George County.

He is preparing still to take the ACT and hopes he can score high enough to be admitted to a university such as Winston-Salem State that would offer him a full athletic scholarship.

He had planned to take the test Dec. 13, but his Dec. 8 arrest made that impossible.

“I’m blessed to get a second chance from something I didn’t do,” he said. “It will make me go harder. It makes me a lot more grateful.”