A Waterloo man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a Sept. 19 robbery at The Medicine Shoppe, 134 S. Main Street in Columbia.

Jason L. Rey, 50, was arrested at his residence in Waterloo for aggravated robbery, Columbia police said.

“Columbia officers and detectives have been working numerous leads in this case since it occurred,” Columbia Deputy Police Chief Jason Donjon said.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann issued an arrest warrant Monday for Rey and set his bond at $40,000.

The robbery occurred about 9 a.m. An Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network bulletin was broadcast shortly after the robbery to neighboring law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for a gray minivan/SUV driven by a white male wearing a hoodie and blue jeans, a camo hat, sunglasses and a black facemask. The suspect vehicle was last seen traveling north on Main Street.

Court information states that “while indicating by his actions to (a female store employee) that he had a firearm or other dangerous weapon,” Rey took oxycodone by threatening the use of imminent force. 

The aggravated robbery charge is a Class 1 felony. 

“The Columbia Police Department would like to acknowledge and thank the victims and witnesses for their attention to detail prior to, during and after the aggravated robbery occurred which immensely helped our department with leads,” Donjon said Thursday. “In addition to thanking our officers and detectives for their unwavering hard work and dedication to this case, we would like to thank the Waterloo Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department who assisted in the arrest of Rey.”

Rey was released from the Columbia Police Department after posting 10 percent of his bond. Rey’s next court appearance will soon be set by the state’s attorney’s office.