Prosecutors say a convicted felon robbed a woman at gunpoint after she tried to pay him $1,000 in exchange for him returning her gun that had been stolen from her in Zion.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said that a woman was robbed at gunpoint by Montrell E. Lewis, 22, of Zion, around 10:30 p.m. on March 27 in the 2100 block of Hebron Avenue in Zion.
The victim told police that she has a child in common with one of Lewis’ family members.
The woman and the father of the child were having relationship issues and she moved to Texas.
She left her Glock 43X handgun in a safe at their prior shared residence, Katris said.
The woman, who has a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card, returned to Illinois a week prior to March 27 and asked her former partner for her firearm.
He told her that he gave the firearm to Lewis and the woman called Lewis and sent him text messages asking for her gun back after her child’s father gave her the name of who had the gun, Katris said.
Lewis allegedly told the woman he would return the gun to her if she gave him $1,000 in cash.
She agreed to the terms and met with him at the location on Hebron Avenue, Katris said. Lewis lives on the same block.
The woman stopped at a gas station nearby prior to the meetup to withdraw $1,000 in cash from an ATM.
Katris said Lewis approached the woman’s car during the meetup and flashed a black firearm from his waistband area.
Lewis saw the $1,000 in cash in her driver’s side door cup holder and reached into the car, Katris said, adding that he grabbed the money and ran away.
The woman told officers she was paralyzed in fear and only thought about making it out alive to see her child.
She had never met Lewis prior and looked up his name on the internet after the incident.
Katris said the woman saw Lewis’ photo on Lake and McHenry County Scanner from a prior arrest, which allowed her to identify him to investigators as the suspect who robbed her.
In that case, Lewis was caught with a loaded handgun that had an auto sear device, rendering it fully automatic, during a traffic stop in Zion in May 2022.
The woman printed the article from Lake and McHenry County Scanner and an officer confirmed from his prior contacts that the photo was of Lewis, Katris said.
Lewis posted on his Facebook page two days after the robbery of a photo of a large number of $20 bills and two firearms, Katris said.
An officer was on patrol on March 31 in the 2100 block of Hebron Avenue when he saw Lewis exit his residence.
Lewis was in possession of $1,560 in cash. He denied knowing the victim.
Officers recovered Lewis’ phone and the victim’s phone. They found a text message thread regarding the sale of the gun for $1,000 between the two, Katris said.
Lewis recently completed mandatory supervised release from the Illinois Department of Corrections for the May 2022 gun arrest where he received four years in prison. Lewis also had another gun conviction just prior to that one.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Lewis pending trial following his latest arrest.
He was charged with aggravated robbery and enhanced felon in possession of a firearm.
“The Defendant is dangerous and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that he committed this forcible felony,” Katris said.
“He has a reputation for possessing weapons and this is a crime that involves forcing the Defendant’s will on others by use of an alleged firearm,” he added.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition during a detention hearing last Wednesday.
Lewis remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on April 30 for a preliminary hearing.