Home Minneapolis Press Releases 2009 Jury Convicts St. Paul Man for Holding Up Inver Grove Heights Credit Union
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Jury Convicts St. Paul Man for Holding Up Inver Grove Heights Credit Union

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 22, 2009
  • District of Minnesota (612) 664-5600

After about one hour of deliberation, a federal jury recently convicted a 29-year-old St. Paul man, finding he held up the Heartland Credit Union in Inver Grove Heights on March 26, 2009. Samuel Johnson Ewing was found guilty October 20 on one count of armed credit union robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence following a two-day trial. Ewing was indicted on April 21, 2009.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Ewing brandished a 9- millimeter, semi-automatic handgun while stealing $18,605 from the credit union. A Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit provides that at approximately 10:20 a.m. on March 26, a man, later identified as Ewing, walked into the credit union, located at 5500 South Robert Trail. He approached a staff member at the front desk, put a gun to her head and said, “Get up and walk that way.”

Ewing kept the gun at the back of her head as he walked with her to the counter area and had her put money into a bag. He then walked out of the credit union to a Dodge pickup truck and drove away toward Upper 55th Street.

A West St. Paul police officer, patrolling in his squad near the bank, pursued Ewing, who then crashed his truck and fled on foot. The officer apprehended him after a short foot chase and recovered cash in a bag, along with the handgun. The handgun was loaded and had a round in the chamber.

Ewing faces a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison for the credit union robbery and a mandatory consecutive sentence of seven years on the firearm count. United States District Court Judge David Doty will determine his sentence at a future date. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the West St. Paul Police Department and the Inver Grove Heights Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan P. Petterson.

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