Man Charged With Armed Robbery Of Shop ‘N Save Pleads Guilty

Devante J. Hodges, 22, of Cahokia, IL, plead guilty in the United States District Court to a three-count indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, Interference with Commerce by Robbery, and Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. The Armed Robbery counts arise from the federal Hobbs Act, which makes it a crime to obstruct, delay or affect interstate commerce by robbery, and is used by United States Attorney Wigginton as a way to combat armed robbery in the Southern District of Illinois. Hodges has been in custody since he was charged on February 6, 2015.

Documents filed in the U.S. District Court establish that on January 11, 2015, Hodges, Lemarcus Jackson, Undray Webb, and Byron Holton entered the Shop ‘n Save, located at 1028 Camp Jackson Road in Cahokia, Illinois, masked, gloved and armed with a black handgun, a chrome semi-automatic handgun, a large frame revolver, and a long rifle with a high capacity magazine. Hodges, Jackson, Webb, and Holton pointed the firearms at employees and customers within the store and threatened to kill a customer if they were not given money from the store safe. Holton jumped the service counter and demanded the employees place money from the safe into a black book bag while Hodges, Jackson, and Webb stood guard at the door with their firearms. Hodges, Jackson, Webb and Holton then left the store and fled the area in a vehicle being driven by the getaway driver, Durand Harper.

Hodges was arrested and interviewed by law enforcement. During the interview, Hodges admitted to being one of the four gunmen who robbed the Shop ‘n Save and identified Byron Holton, Undray Webb and Lemarcus Jackson as the other three gunmen and Durand Harper as the getaway driver. Hodges stated he was the masked man with the large frame revolver. Hodges admitted that he receive approximately $1,000 in proceeds from the robbery.

Hodges faces a prison term of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years on the Hobbs Act violations. On the count of Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, Hodges faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 7 years up to a maximum term of Life, consecutive to, meaning in addition to, any term of imprisonment imposed on the Hobbs Act violations. Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2015, in East St. Louis, Illinois.

As to Lemarcus Jackson, Undray Webb, Byron Holton, and Durand Harper, their cases are still pending, thus they are presumed innocent of the charges unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Cahokia Police Department, the Sauget Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Ali Summers for prosecution.