Southeast Missouri man sentenced to 20 years in prison for two armed robberies (DOJ)

CAPE GIRARDEAU - U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a southeast Missouri man to 20 years in prison for his role in the armed robbery of two businesses and their patrons in 2024.

Tarrence Raybon, 41, and two other men robbed a tobacco and liquor store in Kennett on Jan. 17, 2024. The two other men were armed. One grabbed a man and threw him to the ground while pointing a gun at him. They stole cash and a cell phone from victims and cash and lottery tickets from the store. Raybon was out on bond and wearing a GPS monitoring device on his ankle, which showed him at store at the time it was robbed.

Four days later, Raybon and two other men robbed another Kennett business. One man held a gun to a victim's head while Raybon stole cash from the store's office. Raybon used bolt cutters to break into video gambling machines and steal cash while his accomplices held employees and patrons at gunpoint. They also stole cash, a gun and a cell phone from victims. Raybon's ankle monitor again put him at the scene of the robbery. Both robberies were also captured on video.

On Feb. 27, 2024, Raybon and two other people were in a stolen car and being pursued by Pemiscot County Sheriff's deputies and officers with the Portageville Police Department. The driver of the vehicle crashed. After Raybon fled on foot, officers found his driver's license and a distinctive chrome Lorcin .380 handgun used during both robberies.

Raybon, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Kennett Police Department, the Dunklin County Sheriff's Office, the Pemiscot County Sheriff's Office, the Portageville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.