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Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 05, 2010
  • District of Oregon (503) 727-1000

PORTLAND, OR—A bank robber with a long history of robbery convictions was sentenced in federal court this morning after pleading guilty to six counts of armed bank robbery. Senior U.S. District Judge Garr M. King sentenced Ronald William Henning, 52, of Sandy, Oregon, to 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Henning was also ordered to pay a total of $49,255 in restitution to the victim banks.

Henning, who has two prior federal convictions for bank robbery and two Oregon state robbery convictions, committed five armed bank robberies in the Portland area and a sixth in Vancouver between November 5, 2008, and February 24, 2009. He wore a black ski mask in five of the robberies, and a full-face motorcycle helmet in the sixth. Henning was armed with what appeared to be a pistol in each of the robberies. He pointed the gun at bank employees during the robberies, and in one case, threatened to shoot the teller if she did not hurry up.

Henning was arrested following the last robbery, which occurred at the Clackamas County Bank in Gresham. Witnesses saw Henning get into a car following the robbery and provided a description of the car to the police. Officers spotted the car later that attempted to pull him over. Rather than stopping, however, Henning led the police on a high-speed chase which reached speeds of 80 miles per hour. Henning's car became disabled after he jumped one curb and struck another. Henning abandoned the car and fled on foot. He was arrested a short time later.

Law enforcement officers found money on his person, in his car, and at his residence. They also located a black ski mask, a full-face motorcycle helmet, and an air pistol that resembled a semi-automatic handgun.

In imposing the sentence, Judge King said that this was "one of the most egregious" bank robbery cases he had seen in his more than 12 years as a judge. He said that Henning went "well beyond" what most robbers do, and described the robberies as "extremely traumatic." Judge King noted that Henning "had a gun, waived the gun, pointed the gun, and used the gun" to threaten the tellers. Three bank employees who spoke at the sentencing hearing described the fear and trauma that they and fellow bank employees suffered—and continue to suffer—as result of Henning's conduct. Henning offered his "sincere apology" to the victims.

U.S. Attorney Dwight C. Holton praised the sentence imposed on Henning. He described Henning as a "career bank robber" who "needlessly traumatized innocent bank employees and put members of the public at risk by leading the police on a high-speed chase." Recounting Henning's many prior robberies and the increasingly violent manner in which he committed the new robberies, Holton said, "Nothing short of a lengthy prison term will prevent Mr. Henning from robbing again."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and various local police departments and sheriff's offices in Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman.

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