ALTON - A man from Godfrey has been charged with committing an armed home invasion, kidnapping, and robbery in Alton. He allegedly entered a residence through a bedroom window, forced one of its occupants to leave at gunpoint, and much more, according to Madison County court documents.
Jalen T. Leon, 31, of Godfrey, was charged with home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, and armed robbery - each Class X felonies - as well as aggravated domestic battery (a Class 2 felony) and aggravated battery (a Class 3 felony).
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On May 23, 2024, while armed with a Kahr 9mm handgun, Leon allegedly unlawfully entered a residence in the 2200 block of Holman Street in Alton through a bedroom window and threatened one of its occupants with the firearm, forcing them to leave the residence against their will and travel with him to another location.
Once away from the residence, Leon allegedly strangled the victim, struck them in the face with the firearm, and robbed them of their cell phone and credit cards.
A petition filed to deny Leon's pretrial release describes the incident as follows:
“Victim's friend reported that she observed the defendant enter through a bedroom window uninvited, and she instructed him to leave,” the petition states. “Instead, the defendant went up to [the] victim's bedroom.
“Victim reports that the defendant produced a firearm and ordered her out of the house at gunpoint, forcing her to go to a location where the defendant retrieved property. He then struck her with a blunt object, causing injury to her face, and strangled her. The defendant took the victim's property, including her cell phone and credit cards.”
Leon was later located by police in possession of the firearm, as well as the victim's cell phone and credit cards. At the time of this offense, he had multiple unserved warrants for domestic battery, including one involving the same victim from this case and another involving a different victim.
The Alton Police Department presented the case against Leon, who was remanded to be held in jail until his initial appearance in court. A Detention Order was later filed granting the state’s petition to deny Leon’s pretrial release, and he was indicted by a Madison County grand jury on June 6, 2024.
The issuance of charges is based solely upon probable cause and is not an indication of guilt. All subjects charged with criminal offenses are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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