Fort Hood Soldier Accused of Ill. Armed Robbery

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — A Texas-based soldier is jailed without bond in southwestern Illinois after being accused of robbing a convenience store.

A federal grand jury in East St. Louis has indicted 19-year-old Denzell Grant with interfering with commerce by robbery and illegal possession of a firearm. Grant pleaded not guilty during a hearing Thursday.

Authorities say Grant entered Mac's One Stop Shop in Swansea in October, pointed a handgun at a clerk and demanded money. Investigators say the two men struggled and the gun discharged.

Grant is based at Texas' Fort Hood but is from South Carolina.

A message left Friday with his federal public defender, Todd Schultz, was not immediately returned.

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