Tony Bauer of Arnold and Blake William Steadham of the Fenton area are facing felony charges in connection with an armed robbery on Sunday night, Sept. 3, outside a home on Sheffield Lane in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton.
During the incident, Steadham, who formerly lived in Barnhart, allegedly pointed a gun at a man and woman, and Bauer allegedly stole an SUV from them before driving away in the vehicle with the woman inside. Then Bauer allegedly led police on a chase through Arnold, St. Louis County, St. Louis and Illinois before he was arrested, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
No one was injured during the incident, the report said.
Just before 8 p.m., the victims arrived at the home on Sheffield Lane in a 2017 Jeep Patriot to drop off a child. The male victim was getting a bag from the back seat of the SUV when Steadham and Bauer came out of the home, and Steadham allegedly pointed a gun at the victims, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
Steadham and the male victim got into a physical altercation. The male victim got away, and Steadham walked to the Patriot and allegedly pointed a gun at the female passenger and demanded her cell phone, the report said.
After the woman gave Steadham the phone, Bauer got into the SUV and allegedly drove away from the home with the woman inside. Steadham remained at the Fenton-area home, where he reportedly lives, and was arrested there.
Arnold Police spotted Bauer driving the Patriot shortly after 8 p.m. at Hwy. 141 and Old Lemay Ferry Road and tried to disable the vehicle with spike strips, but they failed and Bauer fled from police and got onto northbound I-55. Arnold Police chased him into St. Louis and then other law enforcement agencies took over the pursuit, Arnold Police reported.
Bauer allegedly continued to flee from police, going into southern Illinois and back into St. Louis, where police closed a road and stopped him. Bauer was arrested, and the female victim was transported to her home, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Bauer, 23, was charged with kidnapping, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison; stealing a motor vehicle, a class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison; and resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a possible fine of up to $2,000. He was being held today, Sept. 6, at Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro on a $50,000 cash-only bond, court records show.
Steadham, 23, has been charged with first-degree robbery, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison; and unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. He was being held today, Sept. 6, at Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro without bond, according to court documents.
According to court records, Bauer was on five years’ probation after pleading guilty in October 2022 to felony possession of a controlled substance following an April 2021 arrest in Jefferson County. He also has been convicted twice for driving with a revoked license, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
Steadham also is facing a felony charge in Jefferson County for possession of a controlled substance after being arrested in March 2022, court records show.