EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois — The Madison County state's attorney filed additional charges Monday against a woman who was previously charged in connection with an armed robbery of an electronics store. She was identified as a possible suspect after a multi-agency investigation involving large-scale retail thefts across the region.
Prosecutors announced they filed additional felony charges against 20-year-old Jakiaya McCoy, of St. Louis, for burglarizing car dealerships and car theft. Prosecutors said that on Nov. 20, she broke into two car dealerships, Cassens & Sons in Glen Carbon and Dream Nissan in Wood River, with the intent to commit theft. On that same day, she had in her possession a 2018 Chrysler 300 and a 2013 Kia Optima that she knew were stolen, prosecutors said.
McCoy was also charged with a felony on Friday for her alleged involvement in the group robbery of a Best Buy in Edwardsville. The incident involved McCoy, another woman, and two teenage boys.
McCoy and her co-defendant, 22-year-old Angel Crosby, of St. Louis, were taken into custody that day. Two teenage boys, a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old, were arrested in Granite City after a police pursuit. Both women or the boys "for whose conduct they are accountable" were believed to be armed during the incident.
Crosby was charged with one count each of armed robbery and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer.
The teenage suspects face delinquency petitions in juvenile court. The state's attorney's office said it would seek to charge the 17-year-old boy as an adult.
The office also filed petitions to detain McCoy and Crosby before trial because it believed they were dangers to the community.
Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said detectives from across the region worked with two assistant state's attorneys to find out whether car dealership burglaries, including car thefts, break-ins and large retail thefts were connected. Law enforcement agencies from across Illinois and Missouri helped Wood River police during the investigation. Personnel from the Cross River Crime Task Force were also involved.
“This is a textbook example of law enforcement agencies working together and taking proactive steps to keep our community safe. I commend the many police agencies involved in this investigation as well as the agencies that successfully and safely apprehended the defendants,” Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine said in a statement.
