Two Men Indicted for Robbing the First Minnesota Bank in Champlin

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, two men were indicted in connection with the October 26, 2011, armed robbery of the First Minnesota Bank in Champlin. Lawrence Deangelo Williamson, age 20, and Boyd Jerome Morson, II, age 20, both of Brooklyn Park, were charged with one count of armed bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on October 26, the defendants stole approximately $13,500 from the bank while putting the lives of others in jeopardy by using a handgun.

According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, the bank was robbed at approximately 10:00 a.m. by two men wearing hoods and masks. The robbers entered the bank, and one of them vaulted the counter while the second went to the vice president’s office. The man who jumped the counter pointed a gun at a teller, while the second man commanded the vice president to open the safe. Once the safe was opened, the robbers told the three bank employees to fill a backpack with money. After the money and a cash-counting machine were placed in the backpack, the employees were forced to lie on the floor before the robbers fled.

Shortly after the robbery, authorities responded to a vehicle fire in Brooklyn Park. The vehicle matched the description of a vehicle seen at the bank at the time of the robbery.

Witnesses told police that after hearing the car explode, they saw a Cadillac leaving the area.

Because he was a person of interest, officers were conducting surveillance on Morson’s residence. On October 26, they saw two males that matched the description of the robbers and two females exit the house and place dark colored bags in a red Toyota. One of the women then drove the vehicle away with the two males seated in the rear passenger compartment. Police made a traffic stop and the males were identified as Morson and Williamson. In the trunk, police found a backpack that matched the one used in the robbery. In addition, police seized a nine-millimeter pistol, two license plates that had been removed from the burned vehicle, and a piece of the cash-counting machine. Morson’s residence was also searched, and officers found approximately $9,000 in cash, as well as clothing that matched what had been worn by the robbers.

If convicted, the defendants face a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the police departments of Brooklyn Park and Champlin. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin S. Ueland.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.