Two men and one woman have been arrested for allegedly robbing and beating an Alabama man Wednesday night (Dec. 17) in Festus.
The suspects are two 18-year-old St. Louis men and a 19-year-old Horine woman, said Capt. Ron Arnhart of the Sheriff’s Office.
All were captured within a few hours of the incident, authorities reported.
Police received a call at 8:30 p.m. reporting the beating and robbery at the Murphy USA gas station parking lot, 630 S. Truman Blvd., Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said.
The 25-year-old victim received “obvious injuries,” but refused medical treatment, Lewis said.
The victim told police he had been beaten and robbed of cash, Lewis said.
Two of the suspects – the woman and one of the men – were caught in a 2012 Nissan Altima reported stolen earlier in the day in St. Louis County, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Ron Arnhart said.
A Sheriff’s Office deputy recognized the woman from the description Festus Police reported, Arnhart said.
“One of our deputies heard the description of the female and it sounded familiar to him from another investigation,” Arnhart said. “He found her and one of the men in a vehicle parked in a driveway of one of her relatives in Horine at 8:45 p.m. The third suspect was found around midnight at the McStop (1707 Hwy. Z) in Pevely. All were arrested without incident.”
The third suspect, who Arnhart said had taken off on foot when the deputy arrived, may face additional charges for threatening a Horine resident to coerce her to let him use her phone, Arnhart reported.
“At 10:30 p.m., the third suspect went to a residence in Horine, made contact and asked to use the phone,” he said. “We were told he displayed a weapon. She refused and he left. We could request an unlawful use of a weapon charge.”
Lewis said his department will seek charges against all three suspects for second-degree robbery, stealing under $750 and third-degree assault. In addition, his department will request a first-degree tampering charge against the woman and second-degree tampering charges against the men.
As of Thursday afternoon, two of the suspects had been released and Lewis expected the third to soon be released – all pending application of warrants – he said.
Arnhart said he did not know if St. Louis County officials would charge the suspects with stealing the Altima, which has Texas plates.