News and Press Releases
Man pleads guilty to robbing a Citizens Bank in Hutchinson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS—Today in federal court, a 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to robbing a Citizens Bank in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Eric Andrew Ebbers, residence unknown, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. Ebbers, who was indicted on August 22, 2012, entered his plea before United States District Judge David S. Doty.
In his plea agreement, Ebbers admitted that on July 17, 2012, he entered the Citizens Bank at 1390 Highway 15 South in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Ebbers gave the teller a note demanding money and warning the teller that he had a gun. The teller gave Ebbers approximately $5,770. Ebbers put the money in his black backpack and ran from the bank to a waiting vehicle. An officer with the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office tried to stop the vehicle, but the car sped away. Law enforcement pursued the car along a Minnesota state highway. During the chase, the car exceeded 100 miles per hour, wove around traffic, and passed a police roadblock. When the car was finally disabled, Ebbers fled on foot into a cornfield. He was apprehended the next day.
Ebbers also admitted that he robbed an Alliance Bank in Lake City, Minnesota, on June 4, 2012. He took approximately $8,100 from the Alliance Bank teller. On June 25, 2012, Ebbers also robbed the Key Bank in Gresham, Oregon. He collected approximately $3,251 at that bank. In both instances, Ebbers presented tellers with a note demanding money and warning that he had a gun.
For his crime, Ebbers faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Judge Doty will determine his sentence at a future hearing, not yet scheduled.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.
