Show-Me State Times

Two men from St. Louis have admitted their roles in an armed robbery of a store in the city last year.

Orlando Perez, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday to accessory after the fact to a robbery. Jason Fox, 39, pleaded guilty on September 10 to one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Both men admitted that Fox robbed the store in the 3700 block of South Kingshighway Boulevard on January 20, 2023. Fox brought merchandise to the counter, then produced a handgun and demanded “all the money from the registers.” The robber also stole video games and two Xbox consoles. Police traced the robber to a nearby shopping center, where they caught Perez with the keys to the vehicle used for the robbery, as well as cash and ammunition. The stolen merchandise was in the backseat of the car, and Fox was arrested nearby. Perez had 3.54 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket and admitted owning the gun.

Fox is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9 and Perez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, aiming to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.