DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that a Chicago resident on parole for two armed robberies out of Cook County has been sentenced to thirty-eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for robbing at gunpoint a Downers Grove gas station and an Oakbrook Terrace convenience store on the same day in June 2021. Robert Howard, age 31, formerly of Chicago, appeared at his sentencing hearing this morning in front of Judge Daniel Guerin who handed down the sentence. On June 23, 2021, Johnson appeared in Bond Court where Judge Guerin denied bond. He has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail since that time. On July 25, 2024, Howard entered a blind plea of guilty to two counts of Armed Robbery with a Firearm, a Class X Felony. Due to Howard’s criminal history, he was extended term eligible, resulting in a sentencing range of between twenty-one to sixty years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
At approximately 2:42 p.m., June 15, 2021, officers with the Downers Grove Police Department responded to the Speedway gas station located at 5004 Fairview Avenue, for an armed robbery that just occurred. Upon arrival, officers and detectives searched the area but were unable to locate anyone matching the description of the offender provided by the store clerk. Following an investigation into the matter, authorities learned that prior to the officers’ arrival, Howard entered the store, went to a cooler and took an item before walking to the counter where the register is located. Once at the counter, Howard raised his shirt and revealed he had a gun in his waistband. He then went behind the counter, ordered the store clerk to open one of the cash registers, which she did, and took the cash from the register. Howard then took the gun out of his waistband, pointed it at the clerk and said, “Open the register, I’m gonna shoot you if you don’t give me the money.” When the clerk was unable to open the second cash register, Howard took two packs of Newport 100 cigarettes and fled on foot. After identifying Howard as a suspect in the case, authorities executed a search warrant on his home on June 21, 2021. When Howard arrived at the home for a meeting with his parole officer that same day, he observed officers at the home and began to run. As he ran, Howard tripped and fell at which time he was taken into custody. When Howard was taken into custody, he had a loaded semiautomatic handgun in his waistband that matched the description of the gun used in the robbery at the Speedway gas station.
Through further investigation, authorities learned that also on June 15, 2021, at approximately 3:38 p.m., Howard entered the 7-11 convenience store, located on 14th Street in Oakbrook Terrace, requested a job application and filled it out while waiting for the store to clear. After a short time, Howard eventually approached the store clerk, brandished a handgun and took approximately $400 from the cash register before fleeing.
“On parole for less than seven months, Mr. Howard has no business being in possession of a loaded handgun, let alone terrorizing two hard-working individuals at gunpoint to commit two armed robberies. Mr. Howard’s repeated criminal behavior demonstrates his complete disregard for the rule of law and public safety. Judge Guerin’s thirty-eight-year sentence, however, sends the message that in DuPage County, we respect the law, and anyone found guilty of armed, violent criminal behavior will be held accountable. I commend the Downers Grove and Oakbrook Terrace Police Department for their outstanding efforts in this case which ultimately led to a significant sentence of thirty-eight years behind bars . I thank Assistant State’s Attorney Alyssa Rabulinski for her efforts in preparing a strong case against Mr. Howard.”
— DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin
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