Man Indicted on Charges Connected to Five St. Louis Area Robberies

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday 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.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.