Macoupin State's Attorney Jordan Garrison announced today that a Chicago man traveling through Macoupin County was sentenced to 7 years for aggravated robbery. Marquese C. Douglas (10/1/1995) pled guilty in front of the Honorable Joshua A. Meyer and was remanded into the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. This is the 60th case sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2026.  

On April 8, 2026, the Springfield Police Department responded to the Amtrak train station for a report that a male with a black mask passed a note to a café car attendant that stated "Give me money or I will shoot." According to the witness, the male acted like he had a gun. The male was given approximately $459. Springfield officers were able to identify the suspect and obtain a confession. Further investigation showed Douglas was lying and did not have a gun on him at the time of the robbery. During the investigation, it was determined the train was in Macoupin County jurisdiction when the robbery happened.  

Robbery is a class 2 felony which carries a maximum sentence of 7 years, but due to Douglas acting like he had a gun, the charge was elevated to a class 1 felony.  

"Threatening individuals with gun violence is absolutely unacceptable," Garrison said. "Prison is the only appropriate accountability for criminals who put members of the public in dangerous situations such as this. I want to thank the Springfield Police Department under the command of Chief Joseph Behl for their outstanding work in holding this offender accountable. I also want to thank Assistant State's Attorney Sydney McWard for her efforts in obtaining this sentence."