A violent carjacking that started at the Phillips 66 on North Third Street in St. Charles back in September 2023 has now ended with three people headed to state prison. St. Charles police, in a July 2 update that included booking photos, laid out how the investigation tied the three defendants together and noted that they were using a gray Mercedes that had already been reported stolen in another jurisdiction.
In a Facebook post, the St. Charles Police Department reported that Lavon J. Dyson was found guilty of first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, stealing a motor vehicle and attempted stealing of a motor vehicle. He received a 19-year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The post also notes that Torreon J. McCottrell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, and that Lance K. Campbell Jr. had previously entered a guilty plea and received a 15-year sentence. According to the department, multiple suspects were identified and ultimately charged through the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
How the police say the crime unfolded
According to police records, the case began on Sept. 24, 2023, at the North Third Street Phillips 66. Investigators say the suspects stole a woman's purse containing her car keys, then used those keys to take her vehicle. The City of St. Charles' September 2023 departmental report states that the victim followed the suspects onto eastbound I-370, where the driver of a silver Mercedes allegedly fired at her near Highway 141. St. Louis County officers then pursued a suspect vehicle until it crashed. Detectives later processed the recovered vehicles, identified several suspects, including a juvenile, and obtained charges for first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and related motor-vehicle thefts, according to the City of St. Charles departmental report.
Sentences and pleas
Dyson was convicted at trial and, on June 30, 2026, was sentenced to 19 years in state prison. McCottrell entered a guilty plea and received a 15-year sentence on May 4, 2026. Campbell's earlier guilty plea led to a 15-year prison term handed down on July 22, 2025. Booking photos released by the department accompany the recent update and spell out the specific charges and outcomes for each of the three defendants.
Local context
While this case grabbed plenty of local attention, St. Charles County's public crime brief shows that robberies and vehicle-related crimes are actually trending downward so far this year. County officials say those figures are built from state reporting and data from local agencies and note that stolen vehicles frequently move across jurisdictional lines, complicating both investigations and recoveries. The county update emphasizes prevention, such as locking vehicles and safeguarding keys, while investigators continue to focus on groups that use stolen cars to pull off quick thefts, as reported by St. Charles County.
In legal terms
Under Missouri law, first-degree robbery is a class A felony, the most serious category of non-capital crime in the state. Armed criminal action is a separate offense that carries its own statutory prison term, which is typically stacked on top of any sentence for the underlying crime. Put together, that legal framework helps explain how a single violent robbery can result in multi-decade prison terms. Prosecutors in this case relied on RSMo §570.023 and RSMo §571.015.
The St. Charles Police Department update notes that investigators coordinated with regional partners to identify suspects and bring charges. For those who want to dig into the paper trail, official court filings and docket entries are available through the Circuit Clerk's office and online at Missouri CaseNet, where the public can search dockets or request certified records from the St. Charles County Circuit Clerk.
