Marion man handed 10 years for convenience store robbery

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Marion man who was identified as a suspect by a sinister clown tattoo on his leg pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday for a lesser charge in the armed robbery of a convenience store last May.

Jamey Lee Heil, 33, originally charged with first-degree robbery, made an Alford plea to second-degree robbery. In making an Alford plea, he didn’t admit guilty but admitted the prosecution had sufficient evidence for a conviction.

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Heil admitted to intentionally robbing the Kum & Go at 1203 Blairs Ferry Rd. in Marion and putting the clerk in “immediate fear of injury” on May 25, 2024.

Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Patrick Grady sentenced Heil to up to 10 years in prison. Heil must serve a mandatory five years before being eligible for parole.

Heil declined to comment during sentencing.

The victim didn’t submit a victim impact statement and didn’t attend the hearing.

According to court documents, Heil was wearing a white mask, black-and-white hat with a “Pennywise” logo — a character from a Stephen King horror novel — and a dark hooded sweatshirt. The clerk didn’t see his face, but said the robber told her to “pop the register” and pulled up his sweatshirt to display a black pistol in his waistband.

Surveillance video showed the suspect pulling out a black pistol, using his left hand and holding the gun close to his body as he demanded money. He had a visible tattoo on his right hand and both legs, and appeared to be between 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8 with a slim build and a beard, court documents stated.

Another surveillance camera from a business behind the convenience store showed the suspect wearing the same mask and Pennywise logo hat as he entered the south parking lot of the store in a blue Ford Explorer just before the robbery. He was wearing shorts to reveal the clown tattoo on his left leg.

The video also showed the suspect, several minutes later, running back to the Explorer and he was carrying a 12-pack of beer — the same brand that’s captured on store surveillance video.

Investigators found the Explorer was registered to a woman who had photos of Heil on her social media account. Some of the photos of him showed the clown tattoo and others on his legs. Officers also obtained a search warrant of his home, where police found more items he used in the robbery, police said following his arrest last year.

When Heil talked with police about the robbery, he said, “I made a huge mistake,” according to the criminal complaint.

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