Marshalltown police say they’ve arrested three suspects in two recent robberies.

Officials say the robberies happened at two different locations on March 29th and 31st. In both cases the suspects held the victims against their will, assaulted them and took off with several items.

One of the victims was able to identify two of the suspects as 27-year-old Julian Estrada and 21-year-old Adam Leiva. Police execute a search warrant and arrested both.

Officers also arrest a third suspect, 45-year-old Richard Dolan Jr., in the cases.

All three faces a series of charges including first degree robbery.

To Robin Cooper, 6 AM seemed awfully early to be testing the smoke alarms.

Property owners say they tested the building a week before.

“I said I wish they’d quit playing with the alarms. Then my husband looked out the window and said something didn’t look right,” said Cooper.

As it turns out, the fire alarms weren’t a test.

This was the real thing and police officers were quickly on scene making sure everyone evacuated.

“There was smoke at the door so I stopped. I didn’t know whether to go out the front or the fire escape,” Cooper told Channel 13 News.

Fire fighters weren’t far behind.

In this case, smoke from the third floor unit and the sound of alarms proved just as effective as a call to 9-1-1.

The “Villager” complex is just two blocks away from the fire department.

The Marshalltown Police Department recently received some help raising money for the K-9 unit.

Last summer K-9 Officer Creasy suffered a spinal embolism which forced him to retire.  The Department’s second K-9 Awol will soon retire too.

They were working to raise money to replace both dogs, when Hoglan Elementary School decided to help.  The students and staff held a penny war and raised more than $3,000 in one week.

Thursday, members of the police department attended a celebration assembly held at the school.

The police department says they have raised $35,000 of the $60,000 goal.

Both new dogs are expected to be at work in Marshalltown by next year.