Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Using a Firearm During Robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank in Farmington in September 2012

ALBUQUERQUE – Robert O’Dell Neihart, 44, of Ignacio, Colo., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to robbing a Wells Fargo Bank branch located on East Main Street in Farmington, N.M., while possessing a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Neihart will be sentenced to a term of incarceration within the range of 148 to 161 months followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Neihart was arrested in Nov. 2012, on a two-count indictment charging him with the armed robbery of the bank on Sept. 21, 2012, and using a firearm during a crime of violence.  Count 1 of the indictment also charged co-defendant Denise Myrick, 44, also of Ignacio, Colo., with aiding and abetting Neihart in robbing the bank.  Prosecution of the case against Neihart was delayed by competency proceedings.

During today’s proceedings, Neihart pled guilty to both counts of the indictment, and admitted that on Sept. 21, 2012, he robbed the bank by approaching a teller and handing her a two-page letter demanding money.  Neihart further admitted that he had a pistol in his possession at the time of the robbery.  He admitted using the pistol to shoot at police vehicles that pursued him after the bank robbery.  Neihart was arrested at his Colorado residence later that day by the officers who were in pursuit.

Neihart has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Myrick pled guilty on Dec. 4, 2013, to a misdemeanor information charging her with aiding and abetting a bank robbery.  In entering her guilty plea, Myrick admitted driving Neihart to the bank and assisting him in his attempted escape.  She was sentenced on Mar. 4, 2014, to three years of probation.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque and Farmington offices of the FBI, the Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the La Plata County Sheriff’s Department in Durango, Colo.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Pflugrath is prosecuting the case.