A Bloomington man has been arrested three months after allegedly robbing a Missouri casino at gunpoint and stealing over $1 million alongside another man.
Hollis C. Vanleer, Jr., 20, was arrested Wednesday without incident during a traffic stop at the intersection of West Washington and Caroline Streets in Bloomington, according to Bloomington Police.
According to a press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, on March 25, Vanleer and Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia, Missouri allegedly entered the Ilse of Capri Casino in Boonville, Missouri, masked and armed with a shotgun and handgun. Police said the men then stole approximately $1.3 million from the casino's bank area.
Charles was arrested in Missouri on March 27, police said, and is charged with first degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence in Cooper County court. A judge issued a $1.3 million bond for Charles.
At the time of Charles' arrest, authorities in Missouri identified Vanleer as a second suspect in the alleged robbery. His location was not known at the time. According to Bloomington Police, information distributed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation led to a joint operation between the Bloomington Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Boonville is a four-and-a-half four drive southwest from Bloomington. It's not clear what the relationship is between the two men. Missouri authorities said Charles was an Isle of Capri employee at the time of the alleged robbery.
Vanleer faces charges in Cooper County for first degree robbery, first degree assault and armed criminal action connected to the Missouri warrant. Bloomington Police said he also faces drug and car theft charges related to a McLean County warrant.
He is currently detained in the McLean County jail awaiting extradition to Missouri.
