A Jefferson City man has been placed on five years of supervised probation for pleading guilty to an amended charge in a robbery case from December 2017.
Cole County Judge Dan Green also ordered Austin Roark, 19, to serve a 90-day shock detention sentence, under supervision of probation and parole, after Roark pleaded guilty to one count of felony stealing. He had been charged with first-degree robbery, but prosecutors amended the charge.
Two other suspects in this case - John Russell, 20, and Travion Williams, 18, both of Jefferson City - were each charged with one count of first-degree robbery in connection with this case. Russell's case is set to appear before Cole County Judge Pat Joyce and Williams pleaded guilty last September to his charge and Joyce placed him on five years of supervised probation.
The Jefferson City Police Department responded to an armed robbery on West Edgewood and Creek Trail drives.
The victim was a 19-year-old man from Jefferson City, who said he was approached by three other men in a black car, according to a JCPD news release.
The men in the car offered the victim "pills," and when he refused the offer, one of the men pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money.
The victim gave the men $120 in cash, according to probable cause statements, and the men fled the area in the vehicle.
Detectives spotted a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle's description a short time later in the 1000 block of Elizabeth Street. The detectives set up surveillance and noticed suspects matching the earlier description got into the car about half an hour later and drove away.
The detectives followed. Police then conducted a traffic stop and took all three men into custody. A black airsoft pistol was found and identified as having been used in the robbery.
Patrol officers interviewed and allegedly obtained confessions from all three suspects - Roark, Russell and Williams.
Roark was the alleged driver of the car. Williams is said to have pointed the pistol at the victim and recovered the cash, and Russell allegedly helped Williams engage the victim in conversation in order for him to rob the victim after Roark spotted the victim riding his bicycle in the area.
Roark told police Williams had told him to stop the car because the victim owed him money, and Russell told police Roark had said the victim was allegedly known to carry narcotics and cash.
Williams said he and the other two men were "equally involved in planning the robbery."