November 23, 2015

Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to a Bank Robbery in Overland Park

KANSAS CITY, KS—A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Monday to taking part in a bank robbery in which his partner threatened to kill employees with a gun and dragged a woman across the floor by her hair, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Steve A. Watts, 56, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the robbery.

In his plea, Watts admitted that on Oct. 29, 2014, he and co-defendant Clifton B. Cloyd robbed the Bank of America at 9500 Mission in Overland Park, Kan. Watts and Cloyd—both carrying guns—held five bank employees and a female customer at gunpoint during the robbery. Cloyd was the more aggressive of the two robbers, striking two bank employees and a customer and dragging a bank employee by the hair. Both men were arrested after they fled the bank.

Watts is set for sentencing Feb. 8. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank robbery charge, and a penalty of not less than seven years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge.

Co-defendant Clifton Cloyd is set for sentencing Jan. 11.

Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the Prairie Village Police Department, the Leawood Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel for their work on the case.