A Madison County man is heading to prison for a crime spree in Calhoun County from last fall.
On January 31st, 32 year old David P. Robertson of Granite City pled guilty to a single count of felony armed violence.
The charges stem from incidents that occurred in the afternoon and evening of October 19, 2022. At 3:20PM on October 19th, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary that had just occurred at a residence on the Illinois River Road just south of Hardin. The complainant told deputies that when he came home from work, he found his home ransacked and all of his firearms had been taken. The victim also told deputies that his 2019 red Dodge Ram was also stolen and that he may have passed it heading southbound on the Illinois River Road on the way to his residence.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office then immediately notified the nearby ferry operations of a possible stolen vehicle containing firearms, and the subject driving the vehicle was considered armed and dangerous. Shortly thereafter, Calhoun County Dispatch received a call from another citizen stating he had a suspicious person driving a red Dodge Ram on his property on the Illinois River Road just south of Brussels.
The Sheriff and a Deputy with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the area of the suspicious person, when the Deputy observed the stolen vehicle traveling northbound on the Illinois River Road towards Brussels. The suspect in the stolen vehicle then swerved into the parking lot near the Red & White Country Store where he struck an occupied Toyota pick-up truck that was attempting to turn around. The stolen vehicle came to a rest on the embankment next to Fuhler Lane. Deputies then observed a single male occupant of the vehicle flee on foot running southeast on Fuhler Lane, attempting to hide in brush before making his way back towards Main Street in Brussels.
Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office along with additional units from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Jersey County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois Conservation Police all assisted by looking for the subject and setting up a perimeter. The subject was eventually located by Calhoun County personnel inside a local business in Brussels where he was taken into custody. The subject was then identified as Robertson.
Calhoun Volunteer Ambulance arrived on scene and treated the single occupant of the Toyota, where he was transported to Jersey Community Hospital for injuries sustained in the collision with the stolen vehicle. The victim of the crash was released from the hospital and is recovering.
The stolen truck contained several stolen firearms, including one loaded firearm on the front seat. The vehicle was impounded, pending examination by Illinois State Police Crime Scene and several bench warrants were issued to continue investigating the incident.
Subsequently, on October 24th 2022, the Calhoun County State’s Attorney filed a 32 count Criminal Information against Robertson at the conclusion of the investigation. At the time of these offenses, Robertson was out on Mandatory Supervised Release from the Illinois Department of Corrections from a Theft and Battery to a Law Enforcement Officer conviction.
Subsequent to Robertson’s plea in Calhoun County Court, Robertson was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Calhoun Judge Charles HW Burch. Robertson was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine plus fees and court costs. He was given credit for 104 days served in the Jersey County Jail.