U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Ronald O. Perkins, a 30-year-old from Black Jack, Missouri, to 34 years in prison for committing five armed robberies in Missouri and Illinois during 2023. Perkins was armed with a handgun during the incidents and fired multiple shots at one location.
Perkins’ crime spree began on September 8, 2023, when he robbed a gas station and convenience store on Riverview Drive in St. Louis. He demanded money and fired shots when an employee attempted to intervene. On November 8, he targeted another gas station on Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, stealing cash and cigarettes.
Within two hours of the second robbery, Perkins struck again at a 7-Eleven on Hoffmeister Avenue in St. Louis County, taking cash. Four days later, he robbed a gas station on Fee Fee Road in St. Louis County. His final robbery occurred five days after that on November 17 at a liquor store on St. Louis Road in Collinsville, Illinois.
During his trial in April, jurors were presented with physical evidence and surveillance footage linking Perkins to all five robberies. Law enforcement recovered the gun used during the first robbery from Perkins’ possession.
Judge Pitlyk remarked that the evidence against Perkins was “overwhelming.” Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake stated: “Use of a firearm during a crime of violence can subject you to a sentence of seven years in prison consecutive to any other charge… violent crime really does not pay.” The total amount stolen across all robberies was $1,650.
The jury found Perkins guilty of multiple charges including four counts of robbery and one count each of discharging and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The investigation involved several law enforcement agencies including the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bluestone and Tiffany Becker under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
