A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office police dog subdued a man who has since been charged with assaulting a clerk and robbing a Fenton gas station on April 1. The suspect, Marcus Rogers, 49, of Fenton, also is suspected of burglarizing a Fenton home on Wednesday, April 5.
Law enforcement agencies began searching for the man after the robbery, and K-9 officer Fabre, a German shepherd, helped with his arrest on Thursday, April 6, authorities reported.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Rogers today, April 7, with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in connection with April 1 incident, according to the St. Louis County Police.
Rogers is a prior offender and already was wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for first-degree arson stemming from an incident that occurred this year, as well for unlawful use of a weapon while in possession of a controlled substance connected to a July 2022 incident.
In addition, he was wanted in St. Louis County on a warrant for first-degree arson tied to a June 2022 incident in Sunset Hills, according to court documents.
Rogers is being held in the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro without bond for the 2023 arson charge, the Sheriff’s Office reported. He also is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond for robbery and assault; a $50,000 cash-only bond for the 2022 arson case; and a $4,000 bond for the weapon charge, according to court documents.
The search for Rogers started on April 1, after he allegedly assaulted a store clerk and stole lottery tickets at about 8:40 p.m. from the Phillips 66 gas station’s convenience store, 982 S. Highway Drive, in Fenton, St. Louis County Police reported.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, Rogers repeatedly hit the clerk, a 35-year-old woman, in the head with a six-pack of soda. She required stitches and suffered a broken bone.
Store surveillance footage reportedly showed Rogers in the store, and witnesses familiar with him reached out to police and identified him, St. Louis County Police said.
At about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, officers were called to a home in the 1000 block of Villa Gran Way in Fenton for a burglary in progress. Rogers allegedly got into the home’s basement and pointed a gun at one of the residents, according to the report.
Rogers left the home before officers arrived.
St. Louis County Police circulated surveillance video images of Rogers and asked the public for help locating him, and the search concluded when the Sheriff’s Office got a report at about 5 p.m. Thursday that Rogers was spotted walking in the 1700 block of Gravois Road in High Ridge, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
Bissell said deputies stopped Rogers because he matched the description St. Louis County Police had circulated. When Rogers was asked for identification, he allegedly provided a fake ID and
deputies attempted to arrest him. However, he allegedly struggled with the deputies.
A deputy used a stun gun to try to subdue Rogers but was unsuccessful. As the struggle continued, Deputy Brad O’Donnell warned Rogers that if he continued to resist, Fabre would be released, according to the report.
When Rogers did not heed the warning, the German shepherd was released from the deputy’s cruiser and bit Rogers, and then deputies were able to take him into custody, the report said.
North Jefferson County Ambulance personnel treated the superficial dog bite wound and transported Rogers to an area hospital for evaluation. Rogers was treated at the hospital and then transported to the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, Bissell said.
St. Louis County Police also are seeking a burglary charge against the man through the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tied to the burglary at the Fenton home, and the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is reviewing that case, police reported.
Bissell said the Sheriff’s Office will seek charges through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for resisting arrest and possibly for assault of a police officer because a deputy injured his knee during the struggle.
St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Tracy Panus thanked the public for help finding Rogers.
“We received many tips throughout the day that assisted in our investigation,” she said.