Juvenile suspect charged as an adult
Park Forest, IL–(ENEWSPF)– In retrospect, the robbery appeared to be hastily and sloppily planned. In reality, the results could have been deadly.
Two men wearing hooded sweatshirts entered Family Dollar on November 1, one with a rifle which he pointed at the clerk behind the counter. The clerk reacted quickly by pushing the barrel of the gun away from him, running towards the rear of the store yelling, "He’s got a gun!" The store manager and a customer followed the clerk into a back room and secured themselves. According to surveillance video, both offenders then went behind the counter and started removing cash from the register. The offenders then fled the store with $204.75 cash, according to police.
Police immediately responded to the scene and Community Service Officer Gibson located one subject, a 16-year-old juvenile, walking rapidly in the first block of West Rocket Circle. Commander Winfrey responded to the area and spoke with the juvenile. According to police, the juvenile appeared extremely nervous. The juvenile told police he was walking to University Park from Chicago Heights, but could not explain why he had been walking north, the opposite direction from University Park. When asked if he knew anything about the incident at Family Dollar, the juvenile first told police that he knew nothing about the incident, but then related that he had been inside the store when the robbery occurred, according to police. The juvenile was taken into custody.
While checking the field behind Rich East High School’s baseball field, attempting to locate the subjects from the alleged armed robbery, Detective Corporal Baugh noticed a number of subjects moving in the rear yard of a house in the first block of East Rocket Circle. Detective Baugh also noticed a pile of clothing, including black sweatshirts, gray sweat pants, black masks, and two pairs of clear vinyl gloves lying in the back yard. Detective Baugh received permission to search the residence from the resident, locating a Remington 700 bolt action 30/06 caliber rifle. The rifle had been reported as stolen by the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Police. According to the resident at that address, two male subjects had been at the residence moments earlier and had fled toward the front of the residence.
A short time later, Cmdr. Winfrey observed two male subjects, later identified as Joshua E. Jones, 17, 262 Plymouth Dr., Chicago Heights, and Carnell L. Agee, 20, 363 Boston St., Chicago Heights, running on the track at Rich East High School. One of the subjects was wearing clothing that matched the descriptions of the alleged offenders from Family Dollar, according to police. Jones and Agee were taken into custody in the well area of the lower-level entry door of the school. Due to the fact that a weapon had been used in the robbery, Winfrey conducted a protective pat-down of both subjects, discovering several hundred dollars in one of Agee’s pockets, according to police. Both men were taken into custody.
The three individuals arrested provided statements to police. According to police, Joshua Jones told them that he was at his house in Chicago Heights, talking with his cousin Carnell Agee about how they could get some money. According to police, Joshua said he got a gun from a yard in Chicago Heights near his house. The gun was wrapped up in some sheets and he put it in the trunk of his friend’s car that came to drive them to Park Forest. Joshua said that his friend also picked up Agee and the juvenile. They were all dropped off by East Rocket Circle in Park Forest. According to his statement, Joshua told police he went into Walgreens and bought a package of latex gloves.
The juvenile was charged as an adult, Assistant State’s Attorney McCarthy approving one charge of armed robbery. Joshua Jones and Cornell Agee were each charged with armed robbery.
