Kansas City Man Charged with Robbing Brookside Bank

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Missouri man has been charged in federal court with robbing Bank Midwest.

Casey M. Widman, 58, of Kansas City, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, with stealing $838 from Bank Midwest.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Widman entered Bank Midwest branch at 6249 Brookside, Kansas City, at about 1:45 p.m. on Monday, December 30, 2013. Widman allegedly approached one of the tellers, presented a black pistol, and said he wanted to make a withdrawal in “all 50s and 100s.” The teller gave Widman the cash, the affidavit says, and he fled from the bank on foot.

A witness told police officers that he saw a blue Ford Taurus, with a driver and two passengers, parked near the bank for about 15 minutes. The vehicle left the bank immediately after the robbery occurred. An officer saw a vehicle that matched that description and followed it. When the driver stopped at a gas station, all three occupants—including Widman, who was sitting in the back seat—were taken into custody.

When federal agents searched the vehicle, they found a pellet pistol. When agents searched Widman, they found $389 under his right boot sole. The other occupants of the vehicle have not been charged.

Dickinson 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 Bruce E. Clark. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and the FBI.