Police say homeless man attempted robbery at Circle K in Ottawa, stole vehicle

A homeless man is in the La Salle County Jail on charges of attempted aggravated robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, following an incident Saturday morning at the Circle K at 1500 Columbus St. in Ottawa.

Eugene J. Orvis, 45, is being held on $200,000 bond on the motor vehicle theft charge and $50,000 for failure to appear in court.

Police responded 1:14 a.m. Saturday to a report of the attempted robbery at Circle K, in which a weapon was implied by the suspect, said Ottawa Police Det. Sgt. Kyle Booras. Officers interviewed the store clerk who was the alleged victim and surveillance video was obtained. Officers developed Orvis as a suspect, but were initially unable to find him.

At 12:57 a.m. Monday, Ottawa police responded to a report of a motor vehicle theft from the same Circle K. Officers quickly located the stolen vehicle crashed and abandoned in the 1500 block of Guion Street in Ottawa. Based on an initial investigation, officers were able to develop Orvis as a suspect in the theft of the motor vehicle.

Later in the morning at about 9:42 a.m., officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Columbus and West Joliet streets. Orvis, who was a passenger in this vehicle, was taken into custody on a La Salle County failure to appear warrant. Orvis was taken to the Ottawa Police Department where he was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle for the earlier morning incident, a class 2 felony, punishable of 3 to 7 years in prison, if found guilty. Orvis was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

The report of the attempted robbery Saturday at Circle K was referred to the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s for review for charges. Tuesday, Orvis was additionally charged with attempted aggravated robbery, a class 2 felony stemming from the Saturday incident.