Charges Filed after Armed Robbery at Central Peoria Gas Station

December 23, 2025, Peoria, IL - Today, Robert L. Trader, 48, was charged with Armed Robbery in connection with an armed robbery at a Marathon gas station in Central Peoria. During Trader's detention hearing, the State's request for detention was granted, and he will remain in custody until his trial.

On December 22, 2025, around 7:15 a.m., officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in the 1900 block ofW. Forrest Hill Avenue. The victim, an employee of the gas station, reported that a man came into the store and brandished a rifle. The victim handed over $285 in cash from the register. The suspect then fled in a Chevrolet Malibu. The incident was also captured on the store's surveillance system.

Officers located the Malibu's registered owner, who reported that she had given Trader a ride to the area at the time of the robbery. While she went inside a nearby residence, Trader went to the Marathon gas station. After viewing an image from the surveillance footage, she identified Trader as the person in the picture holding the rifle.

During a search of the vehicle, officers located a rifle.

This investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Peoria Police Department at 309-673-4521.

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