Cape Girardeau bank robber sentenced to 30 years

Today, William Marcus White III was sentenced to 30 years in prison for an August 2006 bank robbery in Cape Girardeau.

According to a press release from Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, White was found guilty of robbing U.S. Bank at 3060 William St. in Cape Girardeau during a jury trial Sept. 18 and 19. The robbery was part of a nationwide crime spree in which White allegedly robbed banks in California, Arizona, Utah and Missouri over a two-week period.

In each robbery, according to the press release, White would go into a bank and hand a teller a note demanding money and claiming to have a bomb or a gun. White was caught 20 minutes after the Cape Girardeau robbery because a bank teller got a complete description of vehicle and license plate. White was arrested by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on Interstate 55 in Sikeston; the stolen money was in his possession.

First degree robbery is a Class A felony carrying a punishment of 10 to 30 years or life in prison. Circuit Judge William L. Syler Jr. imposed the maximum 30 years.

For more details, read Tuesday's Southeast Missourian.