Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who was identified when his photo was broadcast by local TV stations pleaded guilty in federal court today to bank robbery.

Charles Edgar King Jr., 57, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of bank robbery.

By pleading guilty today, King admitted that he used a note to steal $8,815 from Guaranty Bank, 2109 N. Glenstone Ave., in Springfield, on July 10, 2021.

King entered the bank at about 10:30 a.m. and went straight to a teller counter, where he handed the teller a handwritten note that read, “I have a gun this is a robbery.” The teller handed over cash and King left the bank and walked away through a parking lot.

Surveillance cameras in the bank captured good quality video, which show King, who was not wearing a mask, and images of his bare hands that show a tattoo of a cross on the back of his right middle finger. On the same day as the robbery, July 10, 2021, the FBI released one of the surveillance images to the media and requested assistance from the public in identifying the bank robber. King’s former probation officer saw the media coverage and contacted the FBI the same day and identified King.

On July 19, 2021, an anonymous source contacted law enforcement with a tip that King was staying at the Springfield Inn near Kearney and North Glenstone in Springfield. Springfield police detectives and FBI agents conducted surveillance on the hotel and saw King leave the hotel driving a purple Scion Cube with no license plate. Springfield police officers conducted a car stop and detained King on an investigative arrest for robbery.

King told an FBI agent that he used the stolen money to buy the used Scion Cube for $2,400, and that he gave some of the money away and spent the rest.

Under federal statutes, King is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.