Derek Schopp

Two Missouri men and a juvenile were arrested on weapon and drug charges late last Wednesday night in Waterloo after a gas station clerk observed suspicious activity in the parking lot of the business.

Jeremy S. Sewell, 38, of High Ridge, Mo., and Derek C. Schopp, 27, of Manchester, Mo., each face three Class X felony counts of armed violence in addition to three counts of possession of weapons by a felon, two counts of possession of ammunition by a felon and possession of methamphetamine.

A juvenile was charged with armed violence and meth possession in connection with the incident.

Jeremy Sewell

Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said that an employee of Mobil on the Run, 1000 N. Illinois Route 3, observed the men acting suspiciously in the gas station parking lot at about 11 p.m. Oct. 10 and alerted police. A deputy conducted surveillance on the suspect vehicle and eventually conducted a traffic stop a short distance away from the gas station.

Three handguns were recovered from inside the vehicle, at least one of which turned out to be stolen from a burglary reported in Missouri, Rohlfing said.

Sewell and Schopp remain in custody at the Monroe County Jail in Waterloo with bond set at $100,000.

According to Illinois law, a convicted felon commits armed violence when, while armed with a dangerous weapon, he commits another felony. In this case, possession of meth was the other felony.

If convicted of armed violence, Sewell and Schopp face mandatory minimum prison sentences of 15 years.