Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of Stillwater Bank

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 66-year-old man from Cheboygan, Michigan, pleaded guilty to robbing the U.S. Bank in Stillwater. David Michael Tyler specifically pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. Tyler, who was indicted on July 8, 2013, entered his plea before United States District Chief Judge Michael J. Davis.

In his plea agreement, Tyler admitted that on June 8, 2013, at approximately 9:30 a.m., he entered the U.S. Bank in Stillwater wearing a fake beard and glasses and carrying a briefcase and backpack. Tyler placed the briefcase on a banker’s desk and showed him what appeared to be a homemade bomb inside. He then gave the banker a note, which demanded $200,000. It also threatened that if the demands were not met, Tyler would detonate the bomb.

While the banker placed the money into Tyler’s backpack, Tyler admittedly pushed a button on his cell phone, warning the banker that he had ten minutes before the bomb went off. Tyler then grabbed the bag and fled the premises, leaving the briefcase and purported bomb on the banker’s desk. Tyler was apprehended a short distance from the bank, after officers witnessed him throwing the backpack into a pickup truck. All the money was recovered.

For his crime, Tyler faces a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Judge Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled. This case is the result of an investigation by the Stillwater Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Ueland.