Salisbury Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

BALTIMORE—Gary Allen Mitchell, age 42, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery. Mitchell has two prior federal bank robbery convictions—one each in Maryland and Delaware.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan.

According to his plea agreement, on March 21, 2013, Mitchell robbed the PNC bank in the 300 block of Civic Avenue in Salisbury. Mitchell gave the teller a note stating that he was robbing the bank, that he would harm the teller if she did not comply with his demands, and that he had a gun. Mitchell had his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun. Mitchell further advised that the teller should not pull the alarm nor give him any marked money, dye packs, or tracking devices. The teller gave Mitchell $4,177, including a tracking device within a stack of $50 bills, as per bank policy. Mitchell became angry, threw the stack of money on the counter, and told the teller that he had instructed her not to do that. Police officers arrested Mitchell, who was found smoking crack cocaine shortly after the bank robbery, and recovered the proceeds of the robbery.

Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz scheduled sentencing for November 15, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and Salisbury Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who is prosecuting the case.