One of three men who helped rob a Mishawaka bank last November has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.
21-year-old Lamont Hawkins was sentenced in federal court to nine years and nine months in prison, along with two years supervised release. The sentence comes after Hawkins made a plea deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to robbery and firearms charges, dropping an armed bank robbery charge in the process, according to the Elkhart Truth.
Hawkins is one of three men accused of robbing the 1st Source Bank branch on Lincolnway East in Mishawaka, then fleeing in a stolen car and being involved in an hours-long standoff with police in Elkhart.
The trio made off with about $17,000 in cash, according to court documents.
The three were tracked down to a residents in south-central Elkhart, thanks to a GPS device hidden with the stolen money. Police also found dye-stained money in the backyard of the residence, along with dye smears on a possible getaway car and clothing. The three were arrested at the scene.
However, one of the suspects, Jeffrey Wilson, was released that night because they didn’t have enough evidence to keep him in custody at the time. Hawkins and David Woods remained in jail on unrelated warrants.
Kierra Reibesehl reportedly admitted to officers that she hid Wilson not long afterwards, then lied to police about knowing him, according to court documents. Wilson was eventually arrested after an hour-long standoff at a home on South Main St. in Elkhart.
Reibesehl has already been released on bond, with a promise to appear in court. Woods and Wilson are awaiting sentencing.
