Three Kansas City Residents Sentenced for Armed Bank Robbery
Pretended to Take Brother, Sister Hostage

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that three Kansas City, Missouri residents were sentenced in federal court today for the armed robbery of a Brookside area bank in which they pretended that two of the accomplices, a brother and sister, were taken hostage.

Lashon M. Hudson, 42; her brother, Larry T. Hudson, III, 39; and William L. Wheeler, Jr., 28, all of Kansas City, Missouri, were sentenced in separate hearings before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple. Lashon Hudson was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole. Larry Hudson was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison without parole. Wheeler was sentenced to two years in federal prison without parole.

Lashon Hudson, Larry Hudson, and Wheeler each have pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting armed bank robbery. They admitted to working together to steal $2,872 from a branch of Bank Midwest, 6249 Brookside Blvd. in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 10, 2011.

According to their plea agreements, Lashon Hudson and Wheeler drove together to the bank, while Larry Hudson drove separately. Lashon Hudson gave Wheeler a revolver. Then Lashon Hudson, and eventually Larry Hudson separately, entered the Bank Midwest to scout the location. When approached by a bank employee, Lashon Hudson claimed she was waiting for her sister to arrive at the bank to open an account. Lashon Hudson appeared to be talking on a cell phone while in the bank. When Larry Hudson entered the bank, he asked to use the restroom but was told by a bank employee that there was no public restroom available. He briefly exited the bank but eventually came back inside.

Wheeler then entered the bank with the handgun and demanded money from a bank teller, stating something to the effect of, “I’ve got a gun and I’m not afraid to use it.” Wheeler told another bank employee, “Get your hands in the air. Don’t anyone move; I will shoot you.” The teller gave Wheeler the money from her drawer, which Wheeler started putting in a bag. Some of the money was accidently dropped on the floor, and Lashon Hudson helped place that money in the bag for Wheeler.

Larry Hudson remained in the bank lobby and stated, “Oh my God, I don’t want to die.” As part of the plan, Wheeler pretended to take Lashon and Larry Hudson hostage. The three of them left the bank, got into the car driven by Larry Hudson, and drove away.

Larry Hudson drove Lashon Hudson and Wheeler several blocks away from the bank. Wheeler gave Lashon Hudson the bag containing the money and returned the revolver to her. Wheeler and Lashon Hudson exited the vehicle at a house, and Larry Hudson drove away. Lashon Hudson called for a cab, which she and Wheeler then took back to her house. Subsequently, Lashon and Larry Hudson divided up the money from the bank robbery.

Approximately five hours after the robbery, Lashon Hudson arrived at the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department headquarters. She told officers that she and her brother were taken hostages by the bank robber, whom she could not identify. Upon additional questioning, Lashon Hudson altered her story; she could not explain why it took her five hours to report the robbery and her being taken hostage but denied being involved in the bank robbery.

When officers returned Lashon Hudson to her home after the interview, they encountered Larry Hudson, who had failed to report his alleged kidnapping to the police. Larry Hudson also claimed that he and his sister were taken hostage by the bank robber but in a subsequent interview altered his story.

Investigators later identified Wheeler as the armed bank robber.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Davids. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.