ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 19-year-old man has been charged in the robbery and attempted robbery of two gas station in west St. Louis County.
Jacob Merchant was charged with one count of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
On Aug. 19, a man went into the Circle K on Manchester Road and gave the cashier a note demanding money. The cashier refused and the man left the gas station.
A short time later, a man went into the Energy Express convenience store on Manchester Road and gave that cashier a similar note. The man held his right hand in his jacket as if he were concealing a gun, according to the probable cause statement.
The cashier gave the man an undetermined amount of cash. The man also demanded several cartons of cigarettes and scratch-off lottery tickets.
Surveillance video showed the man in both incidents was wearing identical clothing.
Several hours later, the stolen lottery tickets were cashed at a convenience store in St. Louis city. Merchant was identified by store employees, who knew him as a regular there.
In video taken from the store, he appeared to be wearing clothing consistent with the robbery at Energy Express and the attempted robbery at Circle K.
Merchant turned himself in to police but did not admit to the robbery or attempted robbery. But his fingerprints were found on the note given to the Circle K cashier.
He is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
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