One of the four individuals involved in the ATM Solutions robbery has pleaded guilty to several charges related to the Aug. 2, 2010 incident.
John Wesley Jones, 36, from Florissant, Mo. pleaded guilty today to the following charges:
- One felony count of armed robbery
- One felony count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence
- One felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm
- One felony count of escape from custody
Sentencing for Jones has been set for May 12, 2011 before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson.
According to a release from the Eastern District of Missouri Office of the U.S. Attorney the ATM Solutions robbery happened as follows:
According to court documents, in the early morning of August 2, 2010, four individuals, each armed with a firearm, forced their way into ATM Solutions. They announced a robbery and subsequently took over $5 million belonging to ATM. They took the firearms from each of two employees and tied them up after forcing them to assist in placing of the US currency into an ATM van. The robbers decided that they needed to steal an ATM van, as there was too much money to put into the vehicle that they drove to the robbery. They loaded the ATM van with the currency and drove to into a garage on Page Avenue and emptied the van. Some of the US currency was hidden in the attic there and some was taken to a storage locker. On August 3, 2010, Jones placed over a million dollars into his black Dodge Charger and drove out of the driveway at 4032 Page and almost ran into an unmarked police car. Members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were patrolling the 4000 block of Page following the robbery the day before. The Charger accelerated and a police pursuit ensued. During the police pursuit, Jones struck another vehicle, drove on, crashed, ran from police and was arrested a short distance away. When the police returned to the Charger, they found over one million dollars in the trunk along with a loaded firearm. Jones admits that he possessed that firearm and the currency. Jones was indicted for the possession of a firearm and ordered detained by a United States Magistrate Judge. While in custody at the Lincoln County Detention Center Jones escaped on November 15, 2010, when he and another inmate climbed into the ceiling area and escaped via an air conditioning duct. He was arrested several days later in Illinois.
A series of kidnappings have also been linked to the robbery.