Mississippi man admits to robbing bank, fleeing to Alabama
Published 10:00 pm Tuesday, July 26, 2022
A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing a bank in the northeast part of the state.
Jasper Michael Wagner, 56, of Tupelo, entered the plea on Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal said. Aycock scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 1. Wagner faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The robbery took place at Community Bank in downtown Tupelo on April 6. Wagner entered the bank and handed the clerk a note telling her to give him $5,000. He left the bank with the money and was apprehended in a Leeds, Alabama, hotel room about four hours later.
The Tupelo Police and FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Leeds Police Department.
“The FBI will continue to collaborate with our state and local partners to ensure dangerous, repeat offenders, such as Mr. Wagner, are brought to justice,” said FBI Special Agent Jermicha Fomby in a news release.
According to the Northern District of Mississippi U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wagner was previously convicted of robbing seven banks in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2002, as well as three counts of bank robbery in the Northern District of Mississippi in 2013.
An attorney for Wagner could not immediately be reached for comment.