Rodney E. Brock, Armed Robbery, Missouri 2018
Three men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to commit armed robberies by luring their victims with online advertisements and ambushing them. Rodney E. Brock, 21, of Blue Springs, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
Brock, along with Sage Harrison, 36, of Independence, Mo., and Kenneth W. Sexson, 34, of Sugar Creek, Mo., each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit armed robberies from April 1, 2015, to June 7, 2016. Brock also pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robberies committed in October 2015 and one count of carjacking. Harrison also pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robberies committed in October 2015. Sexson also pleaded guilty to six counts of armed robberies committed in October 2015, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Co-conspirators posted ads on several websites in order to entice customers to meet in person at area hotels, residences, and apartments in Kansas City, Mo. When the customers arrived, co-conspirators were lying in wait, armed with firearms and weapons that appeared to be firearms. They ambushed and robbed the customers at gunpoint.
According to court records, the proceeds of the robberies were divided up and usually used to pay for narcotics or to pay for a room where the co-conspirators could use narcotics. When confronting the victim, the co-conspirators used verbal threats, pointed real and fake guns at them, physically hit them, and intimidated them by photographing or taking identifications off of the victim.
The investigation revealed that the co-conspirators used verbal threats, pointed real and fake guns at the victims, physically hit them, and intimidated them by photographing or taking identifications off of the victim. Records obtained from social media services and hotels corroborate statements by participants that only a small percentage of the victims called the police to report their robbery.
Brock and Sexson admitted that they participated in the most violent of the robberies, which occurred on Oct. 9, 2015. Co-defendant Melissa C. Cummins, 23, of Independence, Mo., posted an online ad then directed the customer who responded to an address to meet her in person. When she let him into the apartment, Brock, Sexson, and other conspirators were waiting armed with firearms to rob him at gunpoint.
The next day, Independence police officers arrested co-defendant Devon Davis-Aumua, 23, of Independence, prowling cars in the parking lot of the Quality Inn at approximately 3:33 a.m. Davis-Aumua was in possession of methamphetamine, a stolen Springfield XDS .45-caliber pistol, and the keys to the victim's stolen truck, which was discovered nearby out of gas.
Sexson was arrested on June 7, 2016, when the U-Haul cargo van he was driving was mistakenly identified by a woman who had loaned a similar van to an acquaintance without it being returned. She attempted to get the van to stop by pulling in front of it, then followed the van and ended up striking the van multiple times with her vehicle. She told police officers that co-defendant Ray J. Mahurin, 34, of Blue Springs, who was in the back of the van, fired multiple shots at her vehicle with a handgun.
Affiliated with: Kenneth W. Sexson, Sage Harrison, Melissa C. Cummins, Devon Davis-Aumua, Ray J. Mahurin
Defendant/Respondent: Rodney E. Brock
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit armed robberies, armed robberies, carjacking
City and State: Kansas City, Missouri
Exact Date: April 25, 2018
Sentence or Outcome: 15 years in federal prison without parole
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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