Carbondale police arrest two in armed robbery cases

KBSI FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CARBONDALE, Ill., (KBSI) — Two Carbondale men have been arrested in connection with armed robberies reported this week, police said.

Officers responded around 6:13 p.m. Sept. 23 to the 800 block of East Main Street after a victim reported being robbed while walking in the 100 block of South Cedarview Street. The victim told police a black Ford Focus pulled into a parking lot, and two masked men confronted him. The driver displayed what appeared to be a firearm while the passenger stole the victim’s belongings. The suspects then fled east on East Walnut Street.

Investigators identified the suspects as Tyler Clinging, 26, and Skylar Fleming, 20, both homeless in Carbondale. On Sept. 24, officers found the suspect vehicle unoccupied in the 1300 block of East Main Street and arrested Clinging nearby.

Later that morning, officers responded to a report of a shirtless man with a gun in a U-Haul truck near University Mall. Police stopped the truck and arrested Fleming, who was identified as the driver. A female passenger was detained but released without charges. Officers said Fleming pointed a weapon at another victim during the incident; an Airsoft gun resembling a real firearm was recovered from the truck.

Clinging and Fleming were charged with armed robbery in the Sept. 23 case. Fleming faces an additional armed robbery charge related to the Sept. 24 incident. Both are being held in the Jackson County Jail pending detention hearings.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Carbondale Police at (618) 549-2121, Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers at (618) 549-COPS, or Murphysboro/Jackson County Crime Stoppers at (618) 687-COPS.