A Jefferson City man has been charged with first-degree robbery for stealing a purse at gunpoint on Sunday night.
Aaron Burns, 19, of 1111 East Dunklin St., is also charged with armed criminal action.
A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement shows the incident occurred at 8:18 p.m. at a residence in the 600 block of Linn Street.
One of two victims said two black men knocked on the door of the residence, then forced their way inside, pushing one of the victims into the living room area.
One of the men was wearing a white mask and armed with a small handgun. This suspect went to where the female victim's purse was located beside her bed and took it, along with a set of keys to the residence.
The female said she knew the suspect was Burns, who she said had previously lived with her and had recently moved out.
The suspects left, but eventually returned around 9:45 p.m.
Officers arrived and arrested Burns, who was in the backseat of a car sitting in front of the Linn Street residence.
Officers searched Burns and found keys that were eventually identified as those that had been taken earlier.
A search of the car turned up a white mask in the glove box, and the victims said it was the same used in the robbery.
When questioned, Burns said he knew who committed the robbery, but feared speaking with police because he had been told he would be killed if he talked to them.
Burns said two black males who had committed the robbery approached him at the intersection of East Elm Street and Linn Street and dropped the purse, keys and white mask there and he picked them up and walked across town, where he placed the keys in his pocket and hid the purse in the 1000 block of Elizabeth Street.
Burns said authorities would find his DNA on the mask, but he never had worn the mask.
A check of court records shows Burns has been out on bond for a previous weapons offense and is awaiting trial in that case.