Montgomery Man Sentenced in Bank Robbery Case

MONTGOMERY, AL—Darrin Joseph Bell, 35, of Montgomery, was sentenced yesterday to more than seven years for the October 5, 2011 armed robbery of the Community Bank and Trust (CB&T) on the Eastchase Parkway in Montgomery, Alabama.

United States District Court Judge W. Keith Watkins sentenced Bell to 90 months in the Bureau of Prisons, three years of supervised release, a $200 court assessment fee, and $1,524 in restitution to the bank.

When Bell pled guilty on January 4, 2013, he admitted that on October 5, 2011, he entered the business wearing a motorcycle helmet, jacket, gloves, dark blue jeans, and black shoes and approached the teller with a blue book bag. Bell pulled a silver semi-automatic handgun out of the backpack and showed it to the teller with instructions to “fill it up.” The teller handed Bell over $1,500 dollars and placed the money and the gun in the backpack. Bell then escaped on a motorcycle.

The Montgomery Police Department, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, developed Bell as a suspect, got a search warrant for his home and, upon searching the residence, located the motorcycle, helmet, gloves, and jacket worn by the bank robber. Bell initially denied any involvement in the bank robbery and attempted to provide an alibi which law enforcement quickly refuted.

“Bank robbery is a crime that endangers innocent bank workers and innocent bank customers,” stated U.S. Attorney Beck. “Often, these victims are incredibly traumatized. People deserve to feel safe in their workplace and at their bank. We will continue to vigorously prosecute those criminals who use guns to unfairly put the public in danger.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Montgomery Police Department with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Susan R. Redmond.