On May 11, Louis Patti, 42, of Camden, appeared before the Honorable Judge Josh Taylor in the Circuit Court of Saline County and was sentenced to serve 20 years for Robbery in the First Degree and 12 years for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

Patti had previously pled guilty to these charges after requesting a change of venue, which took the case from Lafayette County to Saline County. Representing the State at the plea and sentencing hearing was Lafayette County Prosecuting Attorney, Kristen Ellis Hilbrenner.

This case arose after officers from the Lexington Police Department were dispatched to the Minutemen Pharmacy in Lexington on September 11, 2025 at approximately 12:15 pm for an armed robbery in progress. When officers arrived there, they found numerous victims who were present during the robbery. Those witnesses recounted to law enforcement how a male subject wearing a grey hoodie, a mask, dark colored pants, white shoes and gloves had come into the pharmacy, pointed a gun at them, and demanded all the “oxy” in the pharmacy be placed into a bag he provided them. Patti took only Oxycodone and Oxycontin from the pharmacy, leaving all other controlled substances and any currency or other valuables behind. He then fled the pharmacy and ran across the street to the car wash.

A witness at the car wash saw Patti get into his vehicle and flee the scene. That witness was able to provide law enforcement with a description of the vehicle and the direction the vehicle was traveling. A trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol observed a vehicle matching that description heading north on 13 Highway, traveling at a high rate of speed. When the trooper conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle being driven by Patti, the suspect’s vehicle traveled off the road and got stuck. The vehicle was searched and officers found the stolen medications, gloves, a note that had directions to pharmacy in Lexington and a Glock 19 handgun. Patti was then placed under arrest and transported to the Lafayette County Jail.

At sentencing, Prosecutor Hilbrenner recounted to the court the defendant’s criminal history which included prior Federal convictions for two counts of Robbery in the First Degree from banks and two counts of Pharmaceutical Robbery and for Possession of a Controlled Substance out of Platte County, Missouri. The prosecutor argued a large sentence should be imposed because of the defendant’s history of the exact same conduct but more importantly because of the trauma he inflicted on at least five victims who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when this convicted felon decided to use a loaded firearm to take what didn’t belong to him. Judge Taylor then pronounced sentences of 20 years and 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

After the sentencing hearing, Hilbrenner had the following comments: “This was a case that was solved and prosecuted because of the victims’ and witness’s ability and willingness to cooperate with law enforcement. Quick work by the Lexington Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol allowed the wrongdoer to be almost immediately captured. Without their efforts, a repeat felony offender may have been free to rob again. Fortunately, the victims and all of Lafayette County can rest easy knowing that this very dangerous individual is off the streets and won’t be free anytime soon to victimize anyone else.”