Felony thefts in Brentwood, Maplewood, Richmond Heights: police

St. Louis men have been charged with felony stealing in three different cases, in Brentwood, Maplewood and Richmond Heights, according to police and St. Louis County court records.

On Nov. 11 Robert Lee Dixon, 33, of St. Louis confessed to Maplewood police that he had been selling cigarettes “under the table” at the Sam’s Club in Maplewood for several days in November. He said he had been approached by a man who he believed owned a convenience store. The man proposed that he would place orders for a large amount of cigarettes; when the orders were picked up and paid for Dixon would void part of the order, reducing the amount paid to Sam’s Club in exchange for cash paid directly to Dixon. The transactions were captured on security video. An investigation determined that Dixon had voided a total of 230 cartons of cigarettes (for which Sam’s Club should have been paid $10,922 but was not), accepting at least $3,000 in cash from the “customers” picking up the cigarettes. Dixon was charged with a Class C felony and held on $10,000 bond.

On Oct. 12, at the Target store in Brentwood, Kinzell M. Norwood, 21, of St. Louis, and a companion put merchandise in a shopping cart and pushed it to the front of the store, then grabbed the items and ran from the store. They got into a blue minivan and drove away. The minivan was traced to its owner, who identified Kinzell and his companion (her son) from security photos. He identified himself in the photos as well, but said he could not recall stealing from Target because he was under the influence of prescription medication at the time. Kinzell was charged with a Class C felony and held on a $10,000 bond.

Tyrell D. Welch, 17, of St. Louis was charged with stealing a 2007 Lincoln MKZ at the QuikTrip in Richmond Heights on July 29. The victim left the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked when she went into the store, and when she came out the car was gone. The next day at the same QuikTrip, a second victim reported that he parked a 2008 Mazda 3 at the store, left the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked, and when he returned the car was gone. Both cars were recovered in St. Louis city. Welch, who was then a juvenile, confessed to stealing both cars in an interview by Richmond Heights police in the presence of his mother and a deputy juvenile officer. A St. Louis County judge certified Welch to be charged as an adult for these thefts and other alleged thefts in St. Louis county and city. Welch was charged with a Class C felony and held on a $10,000 bond.