Raymond L. Hardge, 43, was convicted of first-degree robbery, a Class A felony, on March 5 for a 2018 home invasion robbery in Crestwood.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office proved in trial, beyond a reasonable doubt, that on Feb. 25, 2018, Hardge and an accomplice forcibly stole U.S. currency and firearms in a home invasion robbery in Crestwood. A firearm was used in the process.
Hardge was found in possession of the stolen firearms by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in March of 2019, over a year after the incident. Two months later, the Hazelwood Police Department also found him in possession of stolen firearms.
According to a press release from the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney’s office, the jury was persuaded that Hardge had stolen the firearms by a “skillful presentation of his geolocation data, cell site activations, and cell phone data.” The evidence showed data from several days before the robbery, the day of the robbery and the days just after the robbery, revealing that Hardge and his accomplice met and went to the victim’s home in Crestwood several times before committing the robbery.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department.
The sentencing range for a Class A felony is from 10 to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment. Sentencing is set for May 15. As Hardge was prosecuted as a prior offender, his sentence will likely be on the higher end. In 2004, Hardge pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, kidnapping, first-degree burglary and felonious restraint also in St. Louis County Circuit Court.