Diamond Man Charged in Armed Bank Robbery

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Matt J. Whitworth, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Diamond, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with the armed robbery of the U.S. Bank in Neosho, Mo.

Richard Allan Bratt, 57, of Diamond, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield. Bratt remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s complaint, Bratt was wearing a white “Jason”-style hockey mask and brandishing a handgun when he entered U.S. Bank, 1094 S. Neosho Blvd., in Neosho on Oct. 15, 2009. An alert bank employee triggered the silent alarm upon seeing Bratt enter the bank. Bratt allegedly stated, “This is a robbery.” Bratt ordered one bank employee to the ground at gunpoint, the affidavit says, then ordered two tellers in the bank to fill a bag with cash from the teller drawers. Upon receiving the cash, he left the bank and walked to a white Chevrolet Lumina that was parked a short distance from the bank.

A Neosho police officer saw the Lumina in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at Hwy. 60 and Business 71, a short distance from the bank, and contacted other officers for assistance. At least six police officers approached the vehicle and yelled for Bratt to exit the vehicle. According to the affidavit, Bratt saw the officers and responded by stating that he was not going to open the door. Bratt allegedly grasped a .38-caliber handgun that was located on the passenger side of the car. An officer threw open the driver’s door and deployed a TASER stun gun. The TASER shock rendered Bratt incapable of resisting for several seconds, during which time the officers removed the handgun from Bratt’s right hand, removed him from his vehicle, and placed him in handcuffs.

The time elapsed between the robbery and Bratt’s detention was approximately eight minutes.

Whitworth cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas C. Bunch. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Neosho, Mo., Police Department.