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Press Release

Pennsylvania Man who Robbed LaVale Bank Twice in Six Days Sentenced to Over 12 Years in Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland
 
 


Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced William Carl Miller, Jr., age 53, of Shade Gap, Pennsylvania, today to 151 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised, release for bank robbery. Judge Bennett also ordered Miller to pay restitution of $1,710.

The sentence 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; Cumberland Police Chief Charles H. Hinnant; Allegany County Sheriff Craig Robertson; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Allegany County State’s Attorney Michael O. Twigg.

According to Miller’s plea agreement, on August 28, 2013, Miller robbed the Susquehanna Bank in LaVale, Maryland. Miller entered the bank, pointed what looked like a black semi-automatic handgun at the teller and demanded money. The teller removed approximately $1,710 from the drawer and placed it on the counter. Miller put the money in his shoulder bag and fled through the bank’s rear door.

On September 3, 2013, Miller again robbed the Susquehanna bank in LaVale, this time with co-defendant Chelsea May Morrison acting as a lookout. Prior to the robbery, Miller and Morrison applied “superglue” to their fingers to avoid leaving fingerprints at the bank. Miller and Morrison drove to the bank and parked in an adjacent parking lot. They entered the bank and as Morrison stood by and acted as a lookout, Miller approached three separate tellers demanding money. Miller threatened at least one teller, saying, “I want all your money. I have a gun in my duffle bag so don’t make me use it.” Miller took a total of $20,096 from the various teller drawers.

As Miller and Morrison ran from the bank, the dye packs in the money exploded. Miller and Morrison ran back to their vehicle, with Miller driving and Morrison in the front passenger seat, and fled the area. When officers responding to the bank robbery saw them, the officers attempt to conduct a traffic stop. Miller refused to pull over, accelerated the vehicle, and led officers on a high-speed pursuit. Officers were eventually able to get the vehicle to slow to a near stop, at which time Miller fled. Miller was chased by numerous officers and stopped only after being struck by a taser and tackled by officers.

Morrison was arrested in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Seized from the vehicle, among other items, was cash from the robbery and an air pistol, which was a realistic replica of a semi-automatic handgun.

Chelsea May Morrison, a/k/a Chelsea Maye Morrison-Mikolajczyk, age 27, of North East, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 51 months in prison for her role in the robbery.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and the members of the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigations Task Force (C3I), comprised of the Maryland State Police, Cumberland Police Department, Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, Frostburg Police Department, Frostburg University Police Department and Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.

Updated January 27, 2015