Elgin man sentenced to 25 years for 2019 gas station robbery

An Elgin man is facing 25 years in prison for robbing a gas station in the northwest suburb in 2019.

Jeffrey Richardson was found guilty of robbing a Citco gas station, 1580 Larkin Ave., at gunpoint May 1, 2019, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

That day, Richardson, 30, entered the gas station and pointed a loaded gun at the clerk and demanded money, prosecutors said. He took $1,240 and left the scene on foot.

Elgin police found Richardson seven minutes later in the back yard of a home less than half a mile from the gas station, prosecutors said. Ten months after the robbery, the owner of the home found Richardson’s gun in a bush.

Richardson must serve at least 85% of his sentence, the state’s attorney’s office said. He will also receive credit for the 785 days he’s spent at the Kane County Jail, and an additional 69 days for participating in the Lighthouse substance use disorder program.

“When he was arrested, he had a large tattoo on his neck which proclaimed, ‘Live by the gun Die by the gun.’ He will now serve a long prison sentence because he choose to live by the gun,” assistant state’s attorney Hannah Thayer said.