Dodge City Man Charged in Bank Robbery

WICHITA, KS—Federal charges have been filed against a Dodge City man accused of robbing a bank, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Angel Garcia Aguirre, 31, Dodge City, Kansas is charged with one count of bank robbery, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and one count of using a firearm in a crime of violence.

A criminal complaint filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges that on Oct. 21, 2010, Aguirre robbed the Bank of America at 2307 Central Avenue in Dodge City, Kan. During the robbery, Aguirre was carrying a handgun.

After surveillance photos taken during the robbery were made public, police learned that Aguirre was in Dodge City. On Oct. 22, officers went to a house in the 1300 block of Sunnyside in Dodge City where Aguirre was staying. Aguirre was carrying a handgun when the officers encountered him in the backyard of the residence and ordered him to drop the gun. When Aguirre failed to comply and tried to re-enter the house, the officers shot him.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank robbery charge, a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and a penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The Dodge City Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.