EAST ST. LOUIS – A 31-year-old man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court to 20 years in prison for an armed robbery that occurred at a convenience store in East St. Louis. Vernelle E. Hines, who was arrested in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to charges of interference with commerce by robbery and carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
The incident took place on Oct. 31, 2023, when Hines brandished a firearm at a clerk at the Mega Supermarket.
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According to court documents, he demanded two bottles of tequila and, upon the clerk's refusal, assaulted the clerk, discharged his firearm into the ceiling, and forcibly took the tequila along with several hundred dollars. Hines was wearing a mask to conceal his identity during the robbery, which resulted in serious and permanent injuries to the store clerk.
“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 Illinois State Police 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 a previous conviction of felon in possession of a firearm in the Eastern District of Missouri.
The investigation was led by the Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Illinois and Homeland Security Investigations in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns.
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