MARION COUNTY — A 28-year-old Centralia man pleaded guilty Thursday in Marion County Court to the lesser charge of robbery against him in exchange for the more serious charge of armed robbery being dismissed.
Dierre Hill
Dierre Hill was arrested in March for the armed robbery of the Family Dollar Store in Centralia. Hill was ultimately charged in court with Class X felony armed robbery and Class 2 felony robbery.
Hill pleaded guilty Thursday to the Class 2 felony charge in exchange for the Class X felony charge being dismissed. Judge Mark Stedelin accepted the plea and ordered a pre-sentencing investigation to be conducted. A sentencing hearing in the case is scheduled for November 14.
According to Centralia police, they responded around 8:50 p.m. March 31, to calls from the store saying had just been robbed and the suspect fled south on a bicycle.
Within minutes officers had Hill in custody and they reportedly located a firearm.
Police say Hill was riding a bicycle and wearing clothes that matched that given of the robbery suspect.
Officers reportedly located a bag of money on Hill that was described as that taken during the robbery and the Centralia Police K-9 located a pellet gun nearby that is believed to be the weapon displayed during the robbery.