ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A man is accused of breaking into a neighborhood market in Jennings earlier this month and stealing more than $20,000 in cash and merchandise.

According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, the break-ins took place in the early morning hours of May 9 on Hamilton Avenue.

Just after 3 a.m., police received a call from a resident reporting that a group of men were trying to break into her attached garage on Hamilton. Officers arrived and found no one in the caller’s garage.

However, officers noticed that the rear door of the nearby Lillian Market at 5200 Hamilton had been left open. Officers discovered that the door and security gate had been pried open, and an ice machine inside the business had been damaged.

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Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and saw three men enter the market, one of whom was carrying a pistol. The men took cash from the register, as well as cigarettes, alcohol, and other items.

Police said the total value of stolen cash and property was $20,280. The owner of the market estimated the damage to the gate, rear door, and ice machine to be $6,100.

Days later, police arrested Rodney A. Caston (age not provided) for an unrelated theft at the Family Dollar store in Jennings. Police claim Caston was identified via surveillance footage from Lillian Market.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Caston with first-degree burglary, stealing – $750 or more, and first-degree property damage. Caston is being held on a $50,000 bond. He’s due in court next week for a bond reduction hearing.

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