Joseph Michael Gorski, 29, of Arnold has been charged with two felonies for alleged armed robbery at an Arnold gas station. Gorski allegedly pointed a gun at the gas station attendant, threatened him and demanded money, authorities reported.
At about 1 a.m. Aug. 5, Arnold Police got a call about the alleged armed robbery at the Phillips 66 gas station, 5 Municipal Drive. The gas station attendant told police a man entered the business, pulled out a gun and threatened to kill the clerk’s family if he called police, the probable-cause statement said.
Gorski allegedly got away with $292. He also took off a jacket, mask and gloves he was wearing and left the clothing nearby on Friar Tuck Drive, where he had parked his car before allegedly robbing the gas station convenience store, the report said.
Arnold Police discovered Gorski had called the gas station on Aug. 5 before allegedly showing up there to rob it. In the days leading up to the robbery, Gorski reportedly contacted the police to tell them about possible drug activity at an Arnold hotel, where he had worked. He also allegedly called Arnold Police days before the robbery to ask if he could carry a gun while he was with police officers, according to the report.
During their investigation, Arnold Police identified Gorski as a suspect by viewing the gas station’s surveillance footage, and the police also learned Gorski was wanted in Jefferson County on a warrant for a probation violation, the report said.
Arnold Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office located Gorski at about 2 p.m. Aug. 7 at a home in the 3500 block of Catalina Lane in Imperial. Gorski was arrested without incident, Arnold Police Capt. Rich Shular said.
When Gorski was taken to the Arnold Police Station, he allegedly admitted to robbing the convenience store at gunpoint and threatening the clerk’s family, the probable-cause statement said.
Gorski told police he got the gun from someone he wouldn’t identify, and he said he returned the gun to that person, the report said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office charged him Aug. 7 with first-degree robbery, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony punishable by at least three years in prison.
He was being held Aug. 17 without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.
Gorski also is facing charges for felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, stemming from a March 14 incident at the Phillips 66 gas station, where he allegedly was found with an illegal substance and drug paraphernalia. He allegedly told police he routinely buys marijuana in the area, the probable-cause statement said.
The possession charge is a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and the drug paraphernalia charge is a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a possible fine of up to $2,000.
Gorski also previously was charged with stealing connected with a July 9 incident in Chesterfield. The stealing charge had not been classified as a felony or a misdemeanor, court records show.