Source: Office of United States Attorneys
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment for an armed robbery of a convenience store in East St. Louis.
Vernelle E. Hines, 31, arrested in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of carry and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, Hines brandished a firearm to the store clerk and demanded two bottles of tequila from the Mega Supermarket in East St. Louis on Oct. 31, 2023.
When the clerk refused, Hines assaulted the clerk, discharged his firearm into the ceiling and took two bottles of tequila and a couple hundred dollars by force. Hines wore a mask to conceal his face.
The store clerk sustained serious and permanent injuries.
“This 20-year sentence of a convicted felon who committed a brutal robbery is evidence of the Illinois State Police’s commitment to making communities safer,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP special agents will follow leads and track down those who commit evil until justice is served.”
At the time of the robbery, Hines was on federal supervised release for felon in possession of a firearm for charges in the Eastern District of Missouri.
The Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group led the investigation with assistance in apprehending Hines from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Illinois and Homeland Security Investigations in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.