ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man involved in two carjackings and the theft of a gun after a shooting to 15 years in prison.
Jeremiah Couch, 32, pleaded guilty in April to two carjacking charges, a charge of possession of a stolen firearm and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Couch admitted stealing a Mini Draco AK-47-style pistol on Oct. 17, 2019 from a man who had just been shot in the 5500 block of South 37th Street in St. Louis.
On Oct. 19, 2019, Couch and two others stole a 2020 Jeep Cherokee from outside a home located in the 4100 block of Camellia Avenue in St. Louis, as well as the driver’s phone.
Couch also admitted stealing a man’s 2007 Ford Edge and his money at gunpoint on Oct. 21, 2019 in the 4700 block of South Spring Avenue in St. Louis.
Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted the stolen car less than two hours later. Couch sped off, but crashed while exiting Interstate 70 at West Florissant Avenue. He was caught a short distance away, and officers found a pistol and a shotgun behind the driver’s seat of the stolen car.
The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.