Laconia Man Sentenced to 125 Months for Bank Robbery

CONCORD, NH—The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, FBI Special Agent in Charge Warren Bamford, and Windham Police Chief Gerald Lewis today announced that Patrick McKeen, of Laconia, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison by the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. On March 8, 2010, McKeen pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in connection with the September 18, 2009 robbery of the Bank of New England, 58 Range Road, Windham, New Hampshire.

On September 18, 2009, McKeen entered the Bank of New England in Windham and produced a note demanding money. McKeen was given a sum of money and left the bank, getting into the passenger side of a car registered to and operated by Clint Pickering. A few minutes later, law enforcement units from Windham, the Salem New Hampshire Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Massachusetts State Police began a pursuit of Pickering’s vehicle on Interstate 93. During the pursuit, Pickering drove his vehicle at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour while the vehicle had two flat tires and struck a Windham police officer, causing significant injuries to the officer. The pursuit ended in Dracut, Massachusetts, when Pickering’s vehicle struck a civilian vehicle. McKeen attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was arrested by a member of the Salem New Hampshire Police Department. Pickering was also arrested after being captured by a New Hampshire State Trooper with assistance from officers from the Salem New Hampshire Police Department.

The Windham Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation of this case. Law enforcement from the Salem New Hampshire Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Dracut Police Department assisted in the pursuit and apprehension of Pickering and McKeen.