Park Rapids Man Sentenced for Robbing Akeley Bank

A 54-year-old Park Rapids man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Duluth for the robbery of the First National Bank of Walker in Akeley, Minnesota, on February 26, 2010. United States District Court Judge Richard H. Kyle sentenced Edward Joseph Lowen to 71 months in prison on one count of bank robbery. Lowen was indicted on April 12, 2010, and was convicted by a jury on July 13, 2010.

According to evidence presented at trial, Lowen walked into the bank on February 26, pointed an air pistol at a teller, and demanded money, ordering the teller to place the money in the bag he provided. After receiving approximately $2,525 in cash, Lowen fled the premises in a Chevy Tahoe. Authorities received several tips from the public after releasing photos of the robber to the media. Those tips resulted in consent searches and searches by warrant of Lowen's Tahoe and residence. During those searches, police found items of clothing that matched those worn by the robber as well as a manual for an air pistol and a bag similar to the one used in the robbery.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Ueland.