Southeast Missouri Man Admits Two Armed Robberies (DOJ)

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A man from southeast Missouri on Monday admitted participating in the armed robbery of two businesses and their patrons in 2024.

Tarrence Raybon, 41, of Kennett, In Dunklin County, pleaded guilty 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. He admitted that while out on bond and wearing a GPS monitoring device on his ankle, he 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. GPS data from Raybon's ankle monitor places him at store at the time it was robbed.

Four days later, Raybon and two other men robbed another business in Kennett. One of Raybon's two accomplices 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 stole 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 at the time it was robbed. 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. GPS data from Raybon's ankle monitor placed him in the vehicle during the chase and tracked him as he fled on foot.

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.

Raybon is scheduled to be sentenced On September 8. Both the U.S. Attorney's Office and Raybon's lawyer have agreed to recommend 20 years in prison.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.