Suspect in Papa John's delivery driver robbery revealed as juvenile

ALTON - Alton Police Chief Jake Simmons said the suspect in a Jan. 30 robbery of a Papa John's pizza delivery driver is currently interred in the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center, because he is only 16 years old. 

The suspect, whose name is being withheld due to his age, is accused of robbing a pizza delivery driver after allegedly calling the Alton Papa John's location and asking for a delivery to a possibly vacant house at an address on Maxey Street. After arriving, the driver told police a suspect in a dark hoodie approached, allegedly brandishing a handgun. The suspect escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash and two pizzas. 

Following the robbery, police called a canine unit from the Wood River Police Department (the Alton unit was unavailable at that time), who followed the suspect's trail through the neighborhood, finding abandoned pizza boxes, but no pizza. 

A search warrant was subsequently executed by the Alton Police Department on Friday, Feb. 3 in the 2200 block of Washington Ave in Alton. After that warrant execution, the police took one into custody. 

The suspect attended his first hearing yesterday to start the process of possibly being charged as an adult, Simmons said Tuesday morning. 

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