Bond set for man charged in robbery of Wheaton Walgreens

Bond was set at $300,000 Wednesday for a Carol Stream man charged with robbing a Walgreens with a hatchet.

Jason Zell, 32, of the 500 block of Gunderson Drive, has been charged with one count of armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

On Jan. 16 at about 8:50 p.m., Wheaton police responded to a call of an armed robbery at the Walgreens located at 1601 North Main St. Upon their arrival, police initiated an investigation with assistance from the Villa Park K-9 Unit.

Zell allegedly entered Walgreens, selected an item to purchase and approached the clerk, who was working at the front cash register. When the clerk opened the register to complete the sale, Zell allegedly jumped on top of the counter, removed a silver bladed hatchet from his backside, placed the hatchet on the counter, reached around the plastic barrier and stole cash from the cash register, the release stated. Zell knocked down the plastic divider, grabbed his hatchet and exited the store through the main entrance, according to the release.

Two days later at approximately 10 p.m., Zell flagged down a Wheaton police officer on patrol and turned himself in, according to the release.

“I would like to thank the Wheaton Police Department for their work on this case as well as the Villa Park Police Department for their assistance,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The allegation against Mr. Zell, that he brandished a hatchet at the store clerk who was just trying to make an honest living and stole hundreds of dollars will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Zell’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11 for arraignment.