A man from St. Louis County was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges connected to five armed robberies in the St. Louis area since September.
Ronald O. Perkins, 28, of Black Jack, Missouri, was indicted on four counts of robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony. The indictment accuses Perkins of robbing a Mobil Gas Mart in St. Louis on September 8, Wheeler’s Service Station and a 7-Eleven in St. Louis County on November 8, and a BP Gas Mart in St. Louis County on November 12. He is also accused of transporting a firearm across state lines on November 17 with the intent to commit an armed robbery.
The Gas Mart robber was captured on surveillance video, according to an affidavit filed in support of a November 21 criminal complaint against Perkins.
Each robbery charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine. The discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of at least 10 years consecutive to the other charges, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years consecutive to any other charge and the same fine. The transporting charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the Columbia (Illinois) Police Department, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
