St. Louis man indicted in Swansea Rural King gun heist

Federal officials have identified the second man allegedly responsible for the theft of 16 guns from the Swansea Rural King in January.

According to a statement from Southern Illinois U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton’s office, charges were formally filed against Rodney A. Mathes, 48, of St. Louis. He faces a gun theft charge and a possession of a firearm by a felon charge.

Mathes’ alleged partner in the crime, Michael J. Khoury, 42, of Cahokia, pleaded guilty to similar charges in May.

Video footage from the store located at 2801 N. Illinois St. showed two men break into the building shortly before 11 p.m. on Jan. 19. They took 16 guns and fled before police arrived to the scene.

Khoury later sold a gun with a serial number matching that of one of the stolen guns to a confidential informant, who turned the gun over to police.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "St. Louis man indicted in Swansea Rural King gun heist."