Man pleads guilty to Cape McDonald's heist

A Cairo, Illinois, man pleaded guilty Monday to robbing a Cape Girardeau McDonald's.

Otha Watkins III, 33, pleaded guilty to one count each of interference with commerce by threat or violence, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge John A. Ross.

A news release from the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. attorney's office stated Watkins admitted he entered the McDonalds on Broadway about 3 a.m. Oct. 6, wearing a mask and carrying a handgun.

He ordered several employees at gunpoint to lie on the floor, entered the office area, pointed the gun at the manager and ordered her to fill a bag with money, the release said. Watkins fled with about $9,000.

Employees reported the robbery, which was captured on the restaurant's security cameras, and Cape Girardeau police responded.

An officer from Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Public Safety saw someone "low crawling" across a private parking lot by a drainage ditch near Clark Avenue and Bessie Street, the release stated.

Officers found Watkins hiding in the ditch, with a 9 mm Ruger and a backpack containing the stolen money nearby.

Cape Girardeau police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, the release said.

Watkins will be sentenced June 15.

Pertinent address:

1925 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO