Suspect charged in Friday convenience store robbery

Cape Girardeau resident Travis S. Scales, 28, was charged Saturday with armed criminal action and armed robbery for allegedly robbing the Amerimart convenience store at gunpoint Friday.

Cape Girardeau police were notified of the robbery at 1320 W. Cape Rock Drive from a 911 call at 1:50 p.m.

Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Jason Selzer said Saturday that Scales is also being investigated to see if he is connected to three additional convenience store robberies in the city the last month.

Cape Girardeau County deputies located Scales when they spotted a vehicle matching a witness description of the getaway car at a residence on Hidden Valley Drive a short time after the robbery, said Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Cpl. Adam Glueck. The license plate number on the car also matched the number given by a witness, Glueck said.

Scales has numerous prior convictions, including possession of a controlled substance in 1998, 1999 and 2002. He was also convicted of third-degree domestic assault in 2006. Scales is also facing a February jury trial in Cape Girardeau County on charges of first-degree burglary, robbery and armed criminal action.

The court has not scheduled a date for Scales to appear on the current criminal charges.