Cleveland Heights Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Bank Robberies
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 26, 2013 |
A Cleveland Heights man was sentenced to 30 years in prison on seven counts bank robberies and for attempting an eighth bank robbery last year, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland Field Office.
Kevin Walcott, age 40, previously plead guilty to the seven counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery. He got nearly $13,000 from the robberies on the East Side of Cleveland, according to court documents.
“This defendant robbed more than a half-dozen banks during a month-long spree,” Dettelbach said. “Each of these incidents put people at risk.”
Anthony said, “The valuable partnership between the public, local law enforcement and the FBI helped put a stop to this string of bank robberies. The FBI commends the attentive citizens that assisted in bringing Kevin Walcott to justice.”
The robberies (all in 2012) are as follows:
- October 26: Dollar Bank, 2200 Warrensville Center Road, University Heights, $2,470
- November 1: Ohio Savings Bank, 2066 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, $690
- November 2: PNC Bank, 10900 Lorain Road, Cleveland, $2,194
- November 5: Citizens Bank, 5710 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst, $1,021
- November 8: Key Bank, 911 East 185th Street, Cleveland, $3,660
- November 13: Huntington Bank, 920 East 185th Street, Cleveland, $800
- November 15: Huntington Bank, 20601 Fairmount Blvd., Shaker Heights, $2,069
- Attempted: November 21: PNC Bank, 20711 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights
Walcott was arrested shortly after the attempted robbery of PNC Bank. According to court documents, Shaker Heights police found a handwritten note on him that read, in part: “I have a Gun and a Police Radio If I SEE Police or hear the ALARM you Die First If I don’t make it out you Die First Give me all your 100.00 Both Drawer’s 50.00 20.00 I sEE Bait MonEY 10.00 you Die.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Sweeney and Phillip J. Tripi, following investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Shaker Heights Police Department.