Two arrested in connection with armed robberies in Carbondale

KBSI FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

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

Officers responded about 6:13 p.m. Sept. 23 to the 800 block of East Main Street for a report of an armed robbery. Police said the victim was walking in the 100 block of South Cedarview Street when two men in a black Ford Focus, both wearing bandanas over their faces, approached. The driver displayed what appeared to be a firearm while the passenger stole the victim’s property. The suspects fled east on East Walnut Street.

Investigators identified the suspects as Tyler Clinging, 26, and Skylar Fleming, 20, both homeless individuals in Carbondale.

On Sept. 24, officers located the vehicle in the 1300 block of East Main Street and arrested Clinging without incident. A few hours later, officers responded to a report of a shirtless man with a firearm in a U-Haul truck near University Mall. Police stopped the truck and arrested Fleming. A female passenger was briefly detained but later released without charges.

Police said Fleming had pointed a weapon at another victim during that incident. Officers recovered a realistic-looking Airsoft gun from the vehicle.

Clinging and Fleming were each charged with armed robbery in connection with the Sept. 23 case. Fleming faces an additional count of armed robbery from Sept. 24. Both are being held at the Jackson County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.