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St. Louis County Man Racked Up 41 Felonies While Out on Bond | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

December 1, 2023

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click to enlarge Courtesy of SLMPD Booking photo of Romel S. Taylor, charged today with 41 felonies.

A 37-year-old St. Louis County man was hit with 41 felony charges today after allegedly going on a month-long crime spree in which he repeatedly rammed stolen cars into businesses, which he then burglarized.

The 41 charges appear to be in addition to the many felony offenses Romel S. Taylor was already facing. In fact, court records suggest Taylor committed his spree of burglaries while out on bond for an October 4 carjacking involving an ax in St. Louis County. Judge Krista Peyton let him out on just a $400 bond and a promise to appear back in court.According to court records, Taylor posted that bond on October 10. That very same day, police now say Taylor stole a Chevy Equinox from a Public Storage in the Kosciusko neighborhood.

Carjackings involving axes appear to be something of an M.O. for Taylor. Court documents show that just one week later, on October 18, Taylor allegedly brandished an ax at a different driver in downtown St. Louis and told the man to give him the car keys. The driver instead asked Taylor to pray with him. As the victim himself prayed, Taylor walked away.

However, if the spirit moved Taylor, he didn’t stay moved for long. Police say that on October 19, Taylor stole a white Mazda from the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in south city and then drove it to St. Louis County where he burglarized two stores, including a clothing store. He was seen wearing some of the pilfered items in surveillance video taken at later burglaries, police say.

Taylor then allegedly drove the Mazda back into the city and on the morning of October 20, backed the Mazda into a business where he stole cigarettes. He smashed a window at a second business and entered it, after which he rammed the Mazda through the door of a third business, but was not able to gain entry.

The police documents do not specify the businesses that Taylor allegedly rammed and stole from, but the addresses on the charging documents correspond with a jewelry and collectible store on Hampton Avenue as well as a convenience store near Chippewa and Morgan Ford.

Police say Taylor then robbed a bank. He entered the Bank of America on St. Louis Avenue in north city and gestured to the teller he had a gun. The teller handed over $4,000.

The Mazada was eventually abandoned in the Metro East.

The next day, October 21, police say Taylor carjacked a black Jeep Grand Cherokee wearing a sweatshirt he stole from the county clothing store. Taylor later rammed the Jeep through two businesses, stealing tools from one store and ski masks from the other.

The Jeep too was abandoned in Illinois.

Taylor—who has addresses listed in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Northwoods, Florissant and elsewhere—then allegedly stole a White Chevy Trax from near a credit union in Midtown. He rammed the Trax into the doors of approximately eight businesses, gaining entry to all but two of them, according to the very lengthy police probable cause statement. Again, the specific business names are redacted, but addresses in court documents correspond with an eatery, a Family Dollar in Bevo Mill and a beauty supply store in Tower Grove South, as well as an auto parts place and a strip mall in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. During one of these robberies Taylor stole lottery tickets, police say, and was later seen attempting to cash them at a store in the company of a woman.

Police do not say what happened to the Chevy Trax. But the next day, October 26, Taylor is accused of stealing a Dodge Ram from a car dealership in Dutchtown. He used it to ram into three more businesses in south city and one in the county. In one of the attempted robberies, police say Taylor came up empty because the cash registers were empty.

On October 29, Taylor tried and failed to use the Dodge Ram to break into a pawn shop in the Patch.

On October 30, Taylor stole a Lincoln MKX from the county, leaving the Ram pickup parked at the scene.

About a week later, on November 8 and 9, Taylor allegedly committed a pair of carjackings. During one of which he stole a Lexus from its driver at knifepoint. In the other one, he stole a car and a cell phone. Police tracked the cellphone and apprehended Taylor. When he was arrested, he had the Lexus key fob in his pocket. One of the carjacking victims identified Taylor in a photo lineup.

Now it’s safe to say they’re likely going to hold him on more than $400 bond — and, if found guilty, he could be looking at quite a few years in prison. Currently, he’s being held in the City Justice Center without bond.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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