A man has been charged with a felony for allegedly stealing a car with a woman asleep inside it from outside a convenience store in unincorporated Fenton. The alleged carjacking occurred about 2:50 p.m. March 6 at the Behind the Bluffs convenience store, 513 Saline Road, according to court documents.
James Leuschke Jr., 27, whose last known address was in the 6200 block of Robert Avenue in St. Louis, was charged March 7 with second-degree robbery, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison. He was being held Wednesday (March 11) in the Jefferson County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the convenience store after a 2016 Kia Forte was stolen from outside the business. The victim told authorities he was delivering food to the store when Leuschke allegedly got into the Kia and drove south on Saline Road. The victim’s girlfriend was asleep in the front seat of the car when it was stolen, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The woman said she attempted to grab the steering wheel multiple times to stop Leuschke. However, he allegedly forced her hands away from the wheel and tried to push her out of the car, the report said.
Eventually, Leuschke stopped the car and ran away. Authorities, with the help of a St. Louis County Police dog, found Leuschke at a nearby home in Fenton and arrested him, the report said.
The woman told authorities she felt a pop in her right hip and foot while struggling with Leuschke, and she believed she aggravated a previous injury. She was transported to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County for treatment, according to the report.
Video surveillance at the business reportedly showed Leuschke driving away in the car and swerving at the car’s owner while fleeing the parking lot, the report said.
In addition, Leuschke reportedly stole a beverage and Twinkie from the store. The stolen items were valued at $2.98, according to the report.
Leuschke previously pleaded guilty to a second-degree burglary charge tied to a 2010 incident in Hillsboro. After his sentence for that offense was suspended and he was placed on probation, he violated the probation and went through a treatment program in 2015 before being released in 2016 and placed on probation again, court documents said.