One St. Louis man now finds himself behind bars after a bizarre robbery involving a Spider-Man mask and a Domino’s pizza delivery guy. According to St. Louis County Police, the 31-year-old donned the comic book hero’s mask while robbing a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint late one night this weekend.
The man, Richard D. Whitehead, was charged with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. Police tracked the man fairly easily given that the robbery occurred at his home. It doesn’t seem as if he’ll be out on the street soon either given that bail was set at a whopping $100,000.
A spokesperson for the police department said that Whitehead wore the mask and pointed a semiautomatic handgun at the driver late at night on Friday. He then took not only the small amount of money the driver was carrying, but apparently was a little hungry, also ran off with two pizzas. Thankfully the driver was unharmed in the robbery but this doesn’t mean Whitehead won’t still be facing serious criminal penalties.
Under Missouri law, a conviction for armed criminal action carries a prison term of not less than three years. Robbery in the first degree is a Class A felony in Missouri, and carries with it a term of imprisonment that can range from 10 to 30 years. A person commits robbery in the first degree when he or she forcibly steals property from another and either causes serious physical injury to any person or possesses, uses, displays or threatens the use of a dangerous or deadly weapon. That’s exactly what the prosecutors will be arguing when Whitehead’s case goes before a judge.
Oddly, given what we discussed in another recent post discussed involving pizza delivery drivers and the police, this robbery has no connection with a recent approach by the St. Louis County Police Department to fight crime. The police department revealed that some undercover officers might begin delivering pizzas after the killings of two pizza delivery drivers. The plan was devised after a driver for Imo’s was killed on November 5 while delivering pizzas in Dellwood. Back in May another one of Imo’s drivers was killed while delivery a pizza in Hillsdale, just a few miles away from the scene of the other killing. Though the most recent arrest did not result from the use of undercover officers, the department has been clear that they are willing to work with whatever companies request their help, not just those at Imo’s.
A robbery charge along with an armed criminal action charge should be taken seriously given the consequences of a conviction are so severe. Long-term loss of freedom and a permanent criminal record are just a few of the many penalties that can result from a robbery charge in Missouri. Because of the violent nature of the charges, prosecutors are extremely aggressive in their attempts to secure convictions in robbery cases.
If you’ve had a run in with the law and find yourself in need of a St. Louis criminal defense lawyer capable of fighting for your freedom, don’t hesitate to contact our St. Louis criminal law firm today at (314) 863-0500.
Source: “Man in Spider-Man mask robs Domino’s driver in St. Louis County,” by Kim Bell, published at STLToday.com.
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