October 22, 2014

United States Attorney’s Office Announces Sentence in Bank Robbery Case

TERRE HAUTE—Josh Minkler, the Acting United States Attorney, announced the sentencing of a Terre Haute man for the July 15, 2013, robbery of the First Financial Bank in Farmersburg Indiana. Kenneth E. Shelton, 44, Terre Haute, was sentenced to 160 months (over 13 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence.

“Protecting our communities from violent crime is the number one priority of the United States Attorney’s Office,” said Minkler. “Our resolve to keep violent criminals in prison will never waiver.”

Shelton and an accomplice entered the First Financial Bank on Main Street in Farmersburg on July 12, 2013, to survey the bank. Shelton asked the teller to conduct an account inquiry to make certain he could access his account. On July 15, 2013, Shelton and his accomplice drove to Farmersburg to rob the bank. Shelton walked in and handed a teller a note demanding money. Shelton verbally threatened to shoot the tellers if they did not hurry up and further told them not to push any alarm buttons.

Shelton fled the bank with the money and was driven back to Terre Haute by his accomplice. During their flight, Shelton discarded clothing he wore during the robbery near McDaniel Road in Terre Haute. Law Enforcement soon identified the accomplice who implicated Shelton and recovered the clothing and nearly all the money stolen in the robbery at Shelton’s apartment. The accomplice is pending trial in U.S. District Court. He is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden who prosecuted the case for the government, Shelton must make full restitution on money that was not recovered and serve three years of supervised release after his sentence.