Judge sentences St. Louis man for armed robbery at Family Dollar and brandishing a firearm

ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge John A. Ross sentenced Michael Saffold to 121 months in prison today. The 27-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty, earlier this month, to one count of armed robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On June 23, 2019, Saffold approached the register of the Family Dollar in the 8900 block of Halls Ferry Road in St. Louis, Missouri. Saffold gave the cashier money for Starburst candy.  The cashier opened the cash register to complete the transaction. Saffold then displayed a black semiautomatic handgun to the cashier and demanded money. The cashier complied with Saffold’s demands and gave him all of the money in the cash register drawer. Saffold then escaped.  

Family Dollar surveillance footage later revealed that moments before the robbery, Saffold took a glove from the store. Saffold then wore that glove during the robbery and left the open package of gloves in the store. Investigators took fingerprint lifts from the box of gloves. Those lifts were later matched to Saffold. Saffold was subsequently arrested and charged.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.

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