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Parolee charged with attempted murder in Aurora robbery

A man who has been out of prison for just over three months has been charged with attempted murder in connection with an armed robbery of an Aurora convenience store.

An Aurora police patrol officer watching surveillance tapes from the Aug. 22 robbery of the Fiesta Food Mart, 220 Jackson St., recognized not only the suspect's face but also his vehicle, said police spokesman Dan Ferrelli.

Officers arrested Jarvis L. Postelwaite, 28, of the 200 block of East Galena Boulevard in Aurora on Aug. 29 on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery, according to court records.

“The patrol officers look at these videos and many times they will recognize the people that are captures in the videos, and that's exactly what happened,” Ferrelli said. “The patrol officer did a great job.”

Police sent an alert out a day after the robbery, during which a suspect walked around the counter of the convenience store that Tuesday afternoon and demanded money from the register while displaying a knife.

Once the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect charged the 19-year-old man, causing him to fall, according to police. The suspect then swung the knife at the clerk several times.

The clerk suffered a stab wound to his hand and cuts around one eye and an elbow, police said.

Police said the clerk's injuries were minor and he was treated and released.

The suspect drove away in a red sedan, which he had backed into a parking space near the store, according to police.

“What really keyed (the officer) in was not only the face shot, but he keyed in on that red car,” Ferrelli said. “He just happened to put two and two together.”

Postelwaite is being held at the Kane County jail on $150,000 bail.

He had been paroled on June 27 after serving six years of a 13-year sentence for two counts of armed robbery, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

The man in this photo is accused of robbing a clerk of the Fiesta Food Mart in Aurora at knife point Aug. 22. courtesy of Aurora police
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