Suspect in Downers Grove, Oak Brook Terrace armed robberies denied bail
A parolee charged with armed robberies in Downers Grove and Oakbrook Terrace has been denied bail.
Robert Howard, 27, of the 1100 block of North Oakley Court in Westmont, was charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm and two counts of unlawful use or possession of a weapon by a felon, according to a news release Wednesday from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.
At 2:42 p.m. June 15, Downers Grove police responded to an armed robbery at the Speedway gas station at 5004 Fairview Ave.
Authorities said Howard entered the store, took an item from a cooler and walked to the counter. He raised his shirt to reveal he had a gun, then went behind the counter and ordered the clerk to open the register, according to the news release. He took cash from it, then pointed the gun at the clerk and threatened to shoot her if she didn't open the second register, the news release said, and when she couldn't open the second register, Howard took two packs of Newport 100 cigarettes and fled on foot.
Authorities said they later learned Howard had robbed a 7-Eleven store in Oakbrook Terrace the same day.
He entered the 7-Eleven on 14th Street at 3:38 p.m. and requested a job application, which he filled out while waiting for the store to empty, the news release said. Howard then approached the store clerk with a handgun and took $400 from the cash register before fleeing, the news release said.
Downers Grove police identified Howard as a suspect in the Speedway robbery and obtained a search warrant for his home June 21. When Howard arrived for a meeting with his parole officer, he saw the police at his house and tried to run before falling, the news release said.
Howard had a semi-automatic handgun in his waistband when he was taken into custody, according to the news release. The gun matched the description of the weapon used in the robbery at the Speedway, the news release said.
Howard had been on parole for less than seven months when the armed robberies occurred.
His arraignment is scheduled for July 19. If convicted, Howard is eligible for an extended term of 21 to 75 years in prison because of his criminal history, the news release said.