A Roselle man has admitted to being responsible for robbing a local gas station on his 20th birthday, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday. Latieef Haynes, 20, pleaded guilty Monday to a single count of first-degree robbery. It was shortly before 3 a.m. on July 7, 2013 when Haynes approached the attendant working overnight at the Lukoil gas station on West 1st Avenue in Roselle and brandished a .25-caliber handgun, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Olesnycky, who is prosecuting the case. Haynes told the worker to get on his knees, pointed the gun at his head and demanded money, ultimately making off with approximately $700 from the attendant’s pockets and the gas station’s cash register, Olesnycky said.
An investigation by the Roselle Police Department quickly identified Haynes as a suspect in the case, and he was arrested a week later. Haynes is expected to face 11 years in state prison when he is sentenced later this year, with 85 percent of that term to be served before the possibility of parole.