Matthew Hedge, 20, of Festus has been charged with four felonies for allegedly robbing four juveniles at gunpoint last month in Pevely, authorities reported.
Two juveniles allegedly were accomplices in the robbery and that part of the case has been turned over to juvenile authorities, Pevely Police Chief Tony Moutray said.
Pevely Police got a call around 8 p.m. Sept. 4 about the alleged robbery near the entrance of the Ashton Village Apartments, Moutray said.
“Upon investigation, officers obtained suspect information and began gathering evidence and compiling a case for investigators,” he said.
The next morning investigators identified Hedge as the man who allegedly robbed the four juveniles and “forcibly stole a white backpack and $100 in cash from two of the victims,” the probable-cause statement said.
Pevely Police entered Hedge as wanted and shared the information with nearby law enforcement agencies.
On Sept. 6, Festus Police located and arrested Hedge and allegedly found him with the backpack, $190 in cash and a handgun matching the description victims gave, the report said.
Hedge was being held Monday (Oct. 1) in the Jefferson County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to court records.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Hedge with two counts of first-degree robbery, a class A felony, and two counts of armed criminal action, an unclassified felony. Each of the robbery charges is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and each of the armed criminal action charges is punishable by a minimum of three years.
Moutray said he is proud of the teamwork that led to the suspect’s arrest and subsequent charges.
“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and investigative efforts the officers involved in this case put in,” he said in the report. “This was a joint effort with the Festus Police Department and the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and we thank these agencies for their assistance.”