U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a robber who stole from a Kohl's store in Manchester, Missouri to 130 months in prison.
Mercedes W. Gregory, 34, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gregory admitted placing multiple items of clothing in a cart and walking out of the Kohl's store just before 1:30 p.m. on July 12, 2021. A loss prevention officer followed until Gregory said, "If you keep following me, I'm going to shoot you." Gregory left in a white Chevrolet.
That night, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spotted the car at a gas station in St. Louis. Gregory ran but was caught. Officers found a Taurus handgun in Gregory's satchel. The Kohl's merchandise was in the trunk.
Gregory has two prior robbery convictions, a 2008 case in St. Louis County and a 2013 case in St. Louis. Gregory's parole in the 2013 case ended 11 days before the Kohl's robbery.
The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
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