Police search for second suspect in $1.3 million casino robbery after employee arrested
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TMX
BOONVILLE, Missouri (TMX) — Authorities in Missouri are searching for the second suspect involved in a nearly $1.3 million casino robbery, for which one casino employee has already been arrested.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) said 20-year-old Hollis C. Vanleer Jr., of Normal, Ill., is wanted on charges of first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and first-degree assault in connection with the March 25 robbery at Isle of Capri Casino.
At around 2:13 p.m. on March 25, two suspects entered the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville dressed all in black and wearing face masks, hats and sunglasses. One suspect was armed with a rifle, and the other with a shotgun. They went “directly” to the casino’s bank area and stole approximately $1,276,000.
As they tried to flee the casino, a patron tackled the suspect armed with the rifle, and “a fight ensued,” MSHP said. The second suspect “struck the patron numerous times,” and both suspects fled the scene.
After collecting evidence and conducting interviews, investigators identified casino employee Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia, as a suspect. At around 7 p.m. on March 26, Charles was arrested while on duty at the casino by troopers assigned to the Patrol’s Gaming Division.
Charles was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. He was being held at the Cooper County Jail on a $1,300,000 bond.
MSHP said the investigation is ongoing, with assistance from the Boonville Police Department, the Cooper County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
MSHP released a photo of Vanleer, who is described as a Black male standing 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighing approximately 280 pounds.
Anyone with information about the incident or Vanleer’s whereabouts is asked to call MSHP Troop F Headquarters at (573) 751-1000.