A Red Bud woman is charged with aggravated robbery following a late Wednesday afternoon incident at the Waterloo Quick Cash of Illinois. Waterloo police and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to the crime at 632 N. Market Street, which occurred shortly before 4 p.m.

Charged in the case is Mallary B. Jarrett, 28, of Red Bud. She remains in Monroe County Jail on $50,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on the Class 1 felony charge is set for Jan. 29.

Police initially said a female in her mid-20s to mid-30s, dressed all in black and wearing a black ball cap with long blonde hair, approached a clerk at the payday and title loan store and said she had a gun, demanding cash. She presented what appeared to the clerk to be a real gun and left the store with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The store clerk called police as Jarrett fled to the west across nearby Market Street. A Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputy was a short distance away when the incident was called in and quickly tracked down the suspect. She was taken into custody minutes later on Waterloo Drive and transported to the Monroe County Jail. Wheat’s towed her vehicle and a crime scene unit from Illinois State Police responded to assist in the investigation. In addition to using a toy gun to commit the crime, Jarrett apparently was wearing a blonde wig as a disguise. The total amount stolen in the incident was $131.

“We have a female suspect in custody and have recovered a weapon and cash,” Waterloo Police Chief Jim Trantham confirmed Wednesday evening. 

Trantham said Thursday that the weapon involved was actually a plastic toy gun with the orange tip blacked out.

“The victim obviously thought it was real,” he said.

Court information states that Jarrett, “while indicating verbally to (a female store clerk) that she had a firearm,” took cash by threatening the imminent use of force. There were no other employees inside the store at the time.

There were initial reports of a male suspect in connection with the crime, but Trantham said there is no male suspect “at this time.” Investigators are still working the case to determine if there was anyone else involved in the incident, he said.

Quick Cash of Illinois has operated its Waterloo location since 2004.