HARDIN – David P. Robertson, 32, of Granite City, pled guilty to a Class X Felony charge of Armed Violence and was sentenced to 12 Years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on Jan. 31, 2023. These charges were filed in response to an incident from October 2022 in which Robertson stole a pickup truck and several firearms – one of which was loaded and on the front seat – and attempted to flee the police.
A press release from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office describes the incident as follows:
“On Oct. 19, 2022, at 3:20 p.m., the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary that occurred at a residence on Illinois River Road, south of Hardin, Illinois. The caller stated that he came home from work and his house was ransacked and all his firearms were missing.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the residence, where the victim also noticed his vehicle, a red 2019 Dodge Ram, was also stolen. The victim believed he may have passed his own truck heading southbound on Illinois River Road, as he was on his way home.”
They then notified the ferries of “a possible stolen vehicle containing stolen firearms, and that the subject was considered to be armed and dangerous.” Calhoun County Dispatch received a call shortly afterward from another citizen stating he “had a suspicious person driving a red Dodge Ram on his property” on the Illinois River Road.
When the Calhoun Sheriff and a Deputy arrived on the scene, they saw the stolen vehicle traveling northbound on Illinois River Road toward Brussels, Illinois. Robertson then swerved the stolen truck into a parking lot near the Red & White Country Store, where he struck an occupied Toyota pick-up truck that was attempting to turn around. The driver of the Toyota truck was transported to Jersey Community Hospital for their injuries and is currently recovering.
The stolen truck then “came to a rest on the embankment next to Fuhler Lane,” and Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office personnel saw a single male occupant flee from the vehicle and run “south-east on Fuhler Lane, where he attempted to hide, before making his way through the brush back towards Main Street in Brussels,” according to the release.
Officers from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Jersey County Sheriff’s Office, and the Illinois Conservation Police all responded to the location in an attempt to locate the suspect and set a perimeter. Robertson was discovered and identified inside a local business in Brussels and was taken into custody.
On October 24, 2022, the Calhoun County State’s Attorney filed a 32-count Criminal Information, 26 of which were Criminal Felonies, against Robertson. At the time of these offenses, Robertson was out on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections stemming from a Theft and Battery to a Law Enforcement Officer conviction.
Robertson pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Judge Charles H.W. Burch. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office concluded their press release with this statement:
“The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Calhoun County State’s Attorney Lucas Fanning, former Calhoun County State’s Attorney Keisha Morris, and the entire Calhoun County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance and efforts in the successful prosecution of this case and insuring justice for the victims of crime.”
