Two Nebraska men were sentenced this week to lengthy prison terms for committing a series of armed robberies in Effingham and the Metro East in April 2017. 23-year-old Allen McCray and 27-year-old Victor Linton of Omaha appeared in federal district court in the Southern District of Illinois and were sentenced to 26 years and 24 years, respectively.
According to court documents, Mcray, Linton, and a third man – Brandon D. English, Jr., 21 – stole a Hyundai Santa Fe out of a Nebraska driveway and went on a week-long, multi-state crime spree. The first robbery took place on April 13, 2017, in Raytown, Missouri where they held up a convenience store.
2 nights later the trio covered their hair and faces and entered a Moto Mart in O’Fallon, Illinois, where English put a gun to the cashier’s head and demanded money. They also struck the cashier with her own purse before taking money out of her cash register and leaving. Less than an hour later, the men used similar methods to rob a Circle K in Troy and a Casey’s in Maryville.
After purchasing ammunition and attempting to buy another gun, the 3 robbers left the Metro East and eventually ended up in a Prime Sole shoe store in Effingham. When they tried to take merchandise without paying, a store employee confronted them. McCray pulled out a gun and fired a shot at the clerk. The two men fled the scene with the stolen items.
All 3 entered guilty pleas to conspiracy, three counts of robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. McCray and Linton pled guilty to a 4th robbery count and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
English received a 20 year prison term in 2018.
