A man police believe is an ISU student was charged with second-degree robbery Tuesday after cash was stolen from a clerk at Wal-Mart this weekend.

Leonard Ray Peel Jr., 21, of 4415 Ontario St. Apt. C, was being held at the Story County Jail on a county warrant charging him with failure to appear on unrelated charges when he was charged with robbery by the Ames Police Department.

Jerry Stewart, associate director of the Department of Public Safety, said evidence that connected Peel to the Wal-Mart crime was found at his residence during his initial arrest late Monday.

“Evidence was found on Peel, which indicated he was connected in some fashion to a forgery at North Grand Mall,” Stewart said. “We then applied for, received and executed a search warrant at Peel’s residence. While inside the apartment, officers observed a chrome gun and a blue Wal-Mart bag in the apartment. Knowing that a robbery had occurred at Wal-Mart, DPS alerted the Ames Police Department, who in turn executed a search warrant for those items.”

Sgt. Mike Johns of the Ames Police Department would not reveal the items confiscated from the apartment during the search.

“The warrant for his arrest was issued [Tuesday] afternoon and was served at the Story County Jail,” he said. “Evidence that linked him to the crime was recovered in the search warrant. I’m not telling at this point what that was.”

Stewart said DPS officers went back Tuesday and executed a third search warrant for several electronic items that also were spotted in the apartment.

“DPS observed a great deal of electronic equipment, much of which had the serial tag numbers removed,” he said. “One of the items, a car stereo, was located that had been reported stolen earlier to the Ames Police Department. Computers, stereos, televisions and VCRs were subsequently recovered and will be examined in an attempt to determine ownership.”

Since the serial numbers were removed from many of the items, Stewart said officers will be examining the computer drives for owner information.

Peel is being held on $51,000 cash bond.