A Springfield man is charged with first-degree robbery after he allegedly went into a Casey’s General Store, pointed a gun at a clerk’s face, told her to not be scared — and then walked out with a $10 bill and a 49-cent fountain drink.
Bradley J. Edmonds, 31, was booked into the Greene County Jail on Thursday, May 23. He is being held without bond.
First-degree robbery is a class A felony under Missouri law. If convicted, Edmonds faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and no more than 30 years, according to the state's sentencing guidelines.
According to a probable cause statement filed against Edmonds, Springfield police officers responded to a Casey’s convenience store on March 31, 2024, to a report of a robbery. The address of the store is redacted in the officer's report.
The clerk told the officer that a man came into the store, went to the soda fountain, filled a cup from the fountain, put a gun on the counter and said, “Don’t be scared.” He then ordered her to get everything out of the register. He held the gun to her face, the clerk told the officer.
The clerk said the man then left the store, she locked the door and called her manager, who then called 911 for her.
A police officer reviewed the store’s surveillance video of the robbery and saw a male suspect do the things the clerk described.
The officer shared photographs of the suspect by email to the entire police department and received two responses from officers who reportedly recognized the man as Edmonds. The officer compared photographs from the Casey’s robbery to past booking photos of Edmonds and saw that tattoos matched.
A warrant for Edmonds' arrest was issued on May 16, 2024, according to online court records. He was arrested on Thursday.
According to court documents, Edmonds has a criminal history that includes being arrested for burglary, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, trespassing, domestic assault, a traffic violation, auto theft and stealing.
He was convicted of fourth-degree domestic assault in 2021, put on probation and then had that probation revoked in 2022.
According to the probable cause statement from the Casey's incident, Edmonds is “known to be homeless” and “poses a significant danger to the citizens of this community.”
