Three Accused of Armed Robbery of St. Louis Fast Food Restaurant

ST. LOUIS – Three men were indicted Wednesday and accused of participating in the armed robbery of a St. Louis fast food restaurant in September.

Reuel Clower, 43, and Michael Upchurch, 41, both of St. Louis, and Carlos D. Nelson, 23, of Belleville, Ill., now face one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Clower and Upchurch were also indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment alleges that the men robbed a restaurant in the 600 block of North Kingshighway Boulevard on September 24. A motion seeking to have Nelson held in jail until trial says the robbers searched restaurant employees for items of value and then forced them to the ground before stealing cash from the register.

All three have been in custody since November 5.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.