The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Charles D. Murphy, 46, of St. Louis three felonies for allegedly stealing money from an Arnold hardware store and then stealing a woman’s car. He was arrested after crashing the car on I-55 in south St. Louis County, Arnold Police reported.
Murphy was charged today, Oct. 23, with first-degree robbery and vehicle hijacking, both class A felonies, and resisting arrest, a class E felony, court records show. A class A felony is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and a class E felony carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.
Murphy was being held without bond today at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, Murphy convinced a woman driving a 2006 Chevrolet HHR to allow him to drive the SUV on Sunday, Oct. 22, in Arnold. He offered to pay the woman money to cover the cost of gas, and she allowed him to drive the SUV with her inside it.
Murphy drove the SUV to the Houska’s Ace Hardware store, 1520 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold at about 5 p.m. Sunday. He parked behind a U-Haul truck and allegedly told the woman, “I’ll be back; just stay calm,” the report said.
Murphy entered the store and walked behind the counter and allegedly lifted his jacket to reveal a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants and told an employee to open the cash register, according to the report.
The female employee opened the register, and Murphy allegedly grabbed $100 from the drawer. He then left the store and got into the SUV, the probable-cause statement said.
Murphy got into the passenger’s seat of the Chevrolet because the woman had started driving away from the store when he exited.
Murphy allegedly told the woman to drive, and she proceed to travel north on Jeffco Boulevard because she apparently didn’t know the store had been robbed, the report said.
Arnold Police officers saw the SUV and stopped it on Jeffco. However, when the woman pulled over, Murphy allegedly pulled out a gun, pointed it at the woman’s head and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t start driving, according to the report.
Murphy then allegedly pushed the woman out of the SUV, got in the driver’s seat and sped away north on Jeffco Boulevard with police cruisers with lights and sirens on pursuing the vehicle, the report said.
Murphy allegedly drove erratically and at a high rate of speed on Jeffco before turning left on Hwy. 141 and then onto northbound I-55. Arnold Police continued to chase the SUV on the interstate, until Murphy lost control of the vehicle and crashed near Butler Hill Road, the probable-cause statement said.
The SUV, which rolled over during the crash, was totaled, the report said.
Police did not report any injuries for Murphy.
He was arrested after the crash, and officers allegedly found a gun in the SUV, which turned out to be a BB gun, as well as a hat and jacket Murphy allegedly was wearing in the hardware store during the robbery, according to the report.
Murphy allegedly told officers he showed the gun to the store employee. He did not say if he pointed the gun or pushed the woman out of the SUV, according to the report.
Murphy has previous convictions for other thefts and robberies, the probable-cause statement said.