St. Louis County Man Convicted of Armed Robbery of Restaurant

ST. LOUIS – A man from Riverview, Missouri was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday of the armed robbery of the Steak ‘N Shake where he once worked. 

Jonathan Davis, 24, was found guilty of two felonies at the end of the third day of his trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis: robbery and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On Jan. 23, 2021, at about 12:30 a.m., a man walked directly to the back office of the Steak ‘N Shake restaurant at 9550 Natural Bridge Road in Berkeley and demanded cash from the owner at gunpoint. The owner identified Davis as the robber, according to court testimony. Davis had worked at the restaurant until about two months before the robbery.

Evidence and testimony showed that Davis had been evicted from his home and was living in an extended-stay hotel at the time of the robbery. Later on the day of the robbery, Davis began a five-day spending spree, paying his rent, buying an iPhone, buying a diamond ring for his girlfriend, paying her cell phone bill and giving her cash, according to testimony. He also lost $1,000 to a scammer while trying to buy a car online.

Davis will be sentenced later this year. 

The Berkeley Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Michael Hayes are prosecuting the case.