Two men charged in Wheaton armed robbery

Two Carol Stream men were in the DuPage County jail Monday, charged with robbing a fast-food manager at gunpoint.

Mahrez Bouteldja, 20, and Michael Kiernan, 19, are accused of robbing a manager at Brown's Chicken, 1N058 Main St. near Wheaton, as he entered his vehicle about 9:40 p.m. Sunday after closing the business.

Assistant State's Attorney Thomas Vega said at a bond hearing that the men made off with a bank deposit bag containing about $1,000, but were pulled over and arrested a short time later in Carol Stream.

According to Vega, Bouteldja told police at the traffic stop, “Yeah, we did it. We're the ones you're looking for.”

Vega said the men told officers they worked at Brown's Chicken and had been planning the robbery for two weeks. He said authorities recovered both the stolen money and the firearm.

“They said they were hired employees of Brown's Chicken and knew the (night deposit) process,” Vega said.

Dawn Domrose, spokeswoman for the DuPage sheriff's office, said the restaurant did not have surveillance cameras but a joint investigation with the Carol Stream and Lombard police departments led to the arrests.

Judge Michael Wolfe set bail Monday at $200,000 for Kiernan, the alleged gunman, and $100,000 for Bouteldja, the alleged driver.

Prosecutors said Bouteldja was convicted of criminal trespass to a residence in 2008 in connection with a burglary. Kiernan has a prior arrest for marijuana possession, among other offenses.

Both men are scheduled to appear in court March 7 on armed robbery charges. If convicted, they each could face up to 30 years in prison.