2 Poplar Bluff men charged in robberies

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Two Poplar Bluff men have admitted to being responsible for the recent alleged armed robberies of three convenience stores, police said.

Steven James Ford, 25, and his 29-year-old brother-in-law, Robie Arthur Rogers, were charged with three counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of armed criminal action by Butler County assistant prosecuting attorney Paul Oesterreicher.

They are accused of robbing the Lake Road Junction Convenience Store on June 24, Green Forest Grocery Store on June 28 and the Village Express Store on Sunday. Authorities believe Ford was the gunman and Rogers the getaway driver.

Their arrests stem from an investigation by the Butler County Sheriff's Department and Poplar Bluff Police Department. Ford and Rogers admitted to all three robberies, as well as a robbery in another Southeast Missouri town, police said. They are being held on $200,000 cash bonds.