White County Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Sparta Banks

NASHVILLE, TN—Edward M. Yarbrough, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, announced that Tim C. Roberts of Sparta, Tennessee, pled guilty to robbing the US Bank in Sparta on February 23, 2007 and the Citizens Bank in Sparta on August 22, 2008.

At the guilty plea hearing, Roberts admitted that, on February 23, 2007, at approximately 10:38 a.m., a man, later identified as Roberts, wearing pantyhose over his head and face, entered the US Bank located at 488 West Bockman Way, Sparta, Tennessee, through the bank’s rear doors. Roberts demanded that one of the bank’s tellers put money into two bags that he had carried into the bank. After the bank teller complied with Roberts’ demand, Roberts ran out the bank’s rear doors with approximately $9,241.67 that he took from the bank teller. After leaving the bank, Roberts discarded the pantyhose he had been wearing over his head and face. Officers with the Sparta Police Department recovered the discarded pantyhose but did not apprehend Roberts.

Over 18 months later, on August 22, 2008, at approximately 1:25 pm, Roberts entered the Citizens Bank located at 113 East Bockman Way, Sparta, Tennessee, through the bank’s front doors while wearing a ski mask over his head and face. After entering the bank, Roberts demanded that two victim tellers fill up two plastic bags with money. The victim tellers complied with Roberts’ demand by placing approximately $19,458.41 on the bank counter. Roberts took the money that had been placed on the counter, put it in one of the plastic bags, and ran out of the bank to a nearby car that was being driven by Sparta resident Jennie Sue Grantham. After Roberts got into the waiting car, Grantham drove away from the bank leading Sparta police officers, including the Sparta Police Chief, Jeff Guth, on a chase that covered more than four miles. Eventually, Grantham lost control of the car and ran off the road and into a fence. Responding officers secured both Roberts and Grantham and recovered approximately $19,458.41 from the vehicle.

After being taken into custody, Roberts voluntarily provided a DNA sample. The sample was compared to the pantyhose recovered by the Sparta Police Department after the February 2007 robbery of the US Bank. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation laboratory analyzed the pantyhose and the DNA sample taken from Roberts and determined that Roberts’ DNA was present in the discarded pantyhose, thus linking Roberts to the robbery of the US Bank.

Based on her conduct of leading police on a chase of over four miles, Grantham has pled guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the August 2008 bank robbery committed by Roberts.

“This case demonstrates the commitment of state and federal law enforcement officers to solving crimes months and even years after they have occurred,” said United States Attorney Ed Yarbrough. “By diligently working to solve the robbery of the US Bank that occurred in February 2007 and through the use of DNA analysis, FBI Special Agent Shields and Detective Selby were able to bring Tim Roberts to justice after he was apprehended for robbing the Citizens Bank in August 2008.”

Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Everitt represented the United States. Roberts and Grantham are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger on June 8, 2009.