Suspect charged in University of Missouri robbery

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police say a suspect in a robbery on the University of Missouri campus told family and a friend he was involved in the incident.

Prosecutors charged Austin C. Turner, 23, on Monday with first-degree robbery in the Jan. 31 incident on Hitt Street near Memorial Union.

MUPD said the victim reported being robbed by two men, including one with a knife, who punched him and took his cellphone. The victim told police he chased the robbers and one of them dropped his cellphone, MUPD reported. The robbers reportedly told the victim they had a gun.

The University of Missouri Police Department said in a probable cause statement that Turner told another person on Feb. 4 during an online conversation that "it didn't pay ... to be good." Turner allegedly posted a news article about the robbery investigation when he was asked about the statement.

Turner's brother told police that Turner also told him about the robbery. Police say surveillance video from Ellis Library connected Turner to the area the night of the robbery.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department arrested Turner on Monday on suspicion of methamphetamine possession after a traffic stop. In addition to the robbery charge, Turner is charged separately with drug possession.

His bond on the robbery charge was set at $100,000 cash-only. Online court records did not list an attorney for Turner.