Missouri: Two Named and Charged After Alleged $150,000 St. Jo Frontier Casino Theft
- Updated October 27, 2026: This article now includes the suspects’ names, the charges filed and details from court documents.
- Two St.
- Charles E.
Updated October 27, 2026: This article now includes the suspects’ names, the charges filed and details from court documents. An earlier version, based on initial reports, said the two were charged with felony stealing. Prosecutors charged each with receiving stolen property.
Two St. Joseph residents have been charged after a security supervisor at St. Jo Frontier Casino handed over a box containing $150,000 on Sunday, October 25, 2026, following phone calls about a money pickup, one of which claimed the casino’s general manager had approved the release, according to court documents reported by KRCG.
Charles E. Blaisdell, 42, and Heaven L.R. Roberts, 21, are each charged by the Buchanan County Prosecutor’s Office with one count of receiving stolen property, a Class D felony, KQ2 reported, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol. KQ2 reported on October 26 that each was being held on $150,000 bond. The charges are accusations, not proof of guilt.
What the court documents describe
At about 7 a.m., casino staff received a call from someone they assumed was from FedEx about a money pickup, according to the probable-cause statement as described by KRCG. The reports do not indicate that FedEx was involved.
A security supervisor then got a separate call from a man using the name “Matthew Martinez,” who said the general manager had “okayed” releasing $150,000. The reports do not say who made either call.
Around 8:38 a.m., a black Jeep pulled up in front of the casino. By 8:40 a.m., the supervisor had handed the box to Blaisdell, who was driving, KRCG reported. Roberts was in the Jeep.
Staff reported the incident after determining that the general manager had not authorized the release. Authorities were notified at about 10:30 a.m.
Stopped on Highway 36
At about 10:54 a.m., Macon County deputies found the Jeep heading east on Highway 36, west of Highway 63, and stopped it with help from the Highway Patrol. A search under a warrant turned up more than $151,000, KQ2 first reported.
Court filings put the amount handed over at $150,000. The reports do not explain the difference between that figure and the amount recovered.
The Highway Patrol’s Gaming Division and its Division of Drug and Crime Control are investigating, KQ2 reported.
St. Jo Frontier is one of the casinos on Affinity Gaming’s property list, alongside the Mark Twain Casino in La Grange, which drew two proposed fines from the Missouri Gaming Commission in a separate matter.
