St. Louis man faces federal charge in connection to three southwestern IL robberies

A 20-year-old St. Louis man has been accused in federal court of robbing a liquor store and two gas stations in the metro-east.

The Glen Carbon Police Department on Saturday credited one of its detectives with connecting the crimes.

Jaylin E. Lewis faces three counts of interference with commerce by robbery, a violation of a federal law known as the Hobbs Act.

The robberies occurred at Sauget Liquor Store on Sept. 1, Glen Mart gas station on Sept. 3 and a Mobil gas station on Sept. 4, according to the federal indictment.

The indictment was handed down Dec. 14 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis. Lewis has pleaded not guilty, court records show.

He was arrested March 29 and released from custody Wednesday into “home incarceration,” which requires him to remain at home 24 hours a day except for medical necessities, court appearances or meetings with his attorney at the public defender’s office.

David Brengle, the federal public defender who is representing Lewis, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Glen Carbon Police Department’s announcement from Saturday afternoon stated its involvement in the case began when its officers responded to the Sept. 3 robbery at Glen Mart. The department wrote that Glen Carbon detective Ross Tyler believed it was connected to other robberies in the region.

The announcement stated that the other agencies involved in the investigation included the Sauget Police Department; the Pontoon Beach Police Department; the Cahokia Heights Police Department; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 5:06 PM.