2 Elgin men facing charges in separate weekend robberies

Two Elgin men have been charged in separate robberies last weekend, police say.

Nathan L. Johnson, 24, of the 800 block of South Liberty Street, Elgin, was charged with aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated robbery after a robbery Saturday at the Stop-N-Go on the 400 block of Bluff City Boulevard and an attempted robbery Tuesday at the Family Dollar in the 600 block of Dundee Avenue, Cmdr. Ana Lalley said.

Jose J. Ramos Jr., 18, of the 700 block of Stewart Ave., Elgin, was charged with aggravated robbery after a victim reported her iPhone stolen Saturday, according to an Elgin Police Department news release.

Johnson and Ramos were arrested Tuesday and appeared in Kane County bond court Wednesday. Johnson's bond was set at $100,000, while Ramos' bond was set at $40,000.

A clerk at Stop-N-Go told police a man entered the store, implied he had a handgun and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register before fleeing.

The clerk at Family Dollar Store reported a similar incident Tuesday, but the man fled without any cash after the clerk had difficulty opening the register.

Detectives reviewed video surveillance footage and determined Johnson matched the description from the convenience store robbery, police said.

The video also showed a vehicle police saw a short time later near Raymond Street and Bluff City Boulevard.

Johnson, the driver, ran when police tried to stop him. He was taken into custody without incident, police said.

In the Ramos case, officers were called Saturday to the 0-100 block of South Union Street, and the victim told police she made arrangements to meet with someone who sent her a message on Facebook wanting to buy her iPhone.

Upon meeting, the man, whom police identified as Ramos, implied he had a knife, demanded the victim give up her phone and then ran away. Ramos was arrested without incident on the 1200 block of Maroon Drive in Elgin, police said.