JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 39-year-old St. Louis woman is in the Jefferson County Jail this morning following her arrest over the weekend in connection with an armed robbery that led to a clerk being shot.

According to Illinois State Police, Kimberly Clerk was arrested early Saturday morning after her vehicle was found disabled on Interstate 64 in Jefferson County.

ISP reports say the White County Sheriff’s Office responded around 3 a.m. Saturday to a report of an armed robbery at the Road Ranger in Grayville where a 35-year-old female clerk had been shot. The clerk was airlifted to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries.

According to the sheriff’s report, the female victim, identified as the night employee, was found by a White County Sheriff’s deputy and a Grayville Police officer, lying on the floor in the office area with a single gunshot wound to the upper left torso. She was still conscious and breathing but was airlifted to a regional hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. She’s currently in stable condition.

A witness rendered aid to the victim, then the deputy and the officer did the same until White County EMS arrived. An Edwards County Sheriff’s deputy also arrived at the truck stop to help. The victim was airlifted to Deaconess Midtown Hospital for injuries sustained. The suspect description was given to officers on scene as a black female wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and driving a Jeep Cherokee. The sheriff contacted ISP Investigations about the incident and they agreed to lead the investigation along with ISP Crime Scene Services.

Later, ISP issued an alert to personnel about the incident and the vehicle description. A payment card was dropped from the suspect with a name on it. The suspect was identified as Kimberly Clerk from St. Louis.

After some time, an ISP trooper located a vehicle matching the description around mile marker 84 on I-64. It appeared to be disabled. ISP troopers made contact with a female inside the vehicle and said that she matched the description of the suspect. After further investigation, troopers learned that the female was Clerk. She was identified by a state-issued driver’s license. She was placed in handcuffs and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, armed robbery with the discharge of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a weapon, and causing a child to be endangered.

Three juveniles were also in the vehicle at the time of the arrest. They were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The victim is currently in stable condition at the hospital.