ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Florissant man suspected in at least 15 burglaries in the greater St. Louis area is at large and believed to be armed and dangerous.
This most recent burglary happened while he was already on federal probation and probation in St. Louis City on a suspended sentence.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Dujuan Sumpter in connection with a break-in at D&J Liquor in Maryland Heights on July 26.
Maryland Heights officers were called to the store in the 1900 block of McKelvey Road for a burglary in progress. When they arrived, police saw a maroon Chevy Impala SS speeding from the parking lot. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the Impala fled.
The owner of the liquor store told police that more than $2,500 in alcohol and cigarettes had been stolen. Investigators reviewed store surveillance video, which showed the Impala arriving at the store. The driver, later identified as Sumpter, exited the car and smashed the front window. Sumpter could be seen exiting the store with the stolen merchandise.
Police later located the Impala at Sumpter’s mother’s home. Prosecutors said officers searched the home and found clothes matching what the person in the surveillance video had been wearing. Officers searched the Impala and found a clear backpack, gloves, and a mask that also matched what the suspect in the video was wearing.
Investigators obtained Sumpter’s cellphone data, which showed he was in the area near the store just before the burglary.
Police contacted Sumpter on his cellphone. During that conversation, Sumpter allegedly told officers, “I’ll kill everyone before I go back to jail.”
Sumpter was charged Wednesday with second-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, first-degree property damage, and resisting arrest.
“Even when no one is confronted or injured physically during burglary or theft, these are destructive crimes…,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said. “These crimes will not be tolerated.”
If convicted, the burglary and stealing charges each carry a penalty of one to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The property damage charge carries a sentence of one to four years and a $10,000 fine. Resisting arrest, classified as a misdemeanor, is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Sumpter has prior convictions for burglary dating back to 2012. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to a home break-in, burglary, and vehicle theft for a February 2019 burglary in the Bevo neighborhood. He received a suspended execution of sentence in exchange for his plea and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Previously, he’d been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and was out on 24 months of supervised release.
