CASEYVILLE, Ill. — It was a terrifying moment for convenience store clerks in Caseyville as they stared down the barrel of an AK-47, and the armed thief made off with something more meaningful than what was in the registers.
Now a Metro East family is pleading with the thief to give back what's theirs.
“It made me very angry,” said Jeffrie Smith after hearing Brett’s Caytown Convenience was robbed.
Smith’s been visiting Caytown since he was a kid.
“Good, friendly people here,” he said.
So friendly, in fact, the owners of the shop decided to help Smith's family in their time of need.
“I had a can here, for my cousin Michael. He passed away. Some of my family are trying to scrape up money to pay for his cremation,” he said.
That can was sitting on the counter Thursday as the robber came in around 10 p.m. Just before he walked out, he swiped the can and everything in the registers.
“Doing that is a bunch of B.S.,” said Smith.
The can had been there for weeks, collecting donations from loyal customers. Nobody knows just how much was in it. But Smith said it doesn't matter.
“For the people that donated already, my heart goes out to them. I appreciate it very much. Me and my family appreciate it,” he said.
Smith said he'll make another can and bring it back to Caytown, a place he said treats him like one of their own.
“Oh yeah, keep it in the family,” he said.
And the store's manager said she’s working to help replace what was stolen from smith.
“I want thank each and every one of you for doing it,” said Smith.
Smith’s family also started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the cremation services.
The thief is described as a black male in his mid-20s who is approximately 5-foot-11-inches tall. Anyone with information about the robbery should contact the Caseyville Police Department Detectives Division at (618) 344-2151 ext. 142.
