A Florence man involved in the September 2010 robbery of a Phil Campbell bank is headed to prison following a sentencing hearing on Friday.
Ronald Pollard, 50, formerly of 2011 Hixon Ave., Florence, pleaded guilty to first-degree theft of property on Tuesday, Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said.
Rushing said Pollard received a 20-year sentence split with three years to serve, followed by five years probation.
“This was the first crime that Mr. Pollard had ever been involved in,” Rushing said. “He has been in jail since the crime occurred, and once he has served his prison sentence, he will be subject to probation time. If he messes up at any point during those five years of probation, he’ll be heading back to prison to serve out the remainder of his 20-year sentence.”
Rushing said CB&S Bank, whose Phil Campbell branch was the one involved in the incident, has been very helpful during the process.
“We think this is a fair settlement,” Rushing added. “Some of the money that was stolen was recovered upon Mr. Pollard’s arrest, and he also agreed to pay restitution once he’s out of prison.”
Pollard was originally charged with first-degree robbery after officials said he entered the Phil Campbell branch of CB&S bank on the afternoon of September 23, 2010, and passed a note to one of the two tellers demanding money and saying he would shoot her if she did not meet his demands.
Officials said the teller gave Pollard an unspecified amount of money and he left the bank on foot.
Officers with the Phil Campbell Police Department responded to the scene within 30 seconds of being notified, but Pollard had already fled the area.
Authorities did not initially know that Pollard was their suspect, but a tip from the Shoals Area CrimeStoppers led authorities to a residence in Florence where the supposed vehicle driven by the robbery suspect was parked.
The blue Chevrolet Astro van matched the description of the get-away vehicle provided by witness statements, but after using explosives to enter the residence, authorities could not find anyone at home, officials said.
Pollard was eventually located a week after the robbery took place at the America’s Best Value Inn on Casino Center Drive in Tunica, Miss., after authorities said they received a tip that he had a gambling problem and could be in the area at one of the casinos.
Pollard was taken into custody by the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office and held until he waived extradition and was returned to Franklin County by officers with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Phil Campbell Police Department.
Pollard has been in custody at the Franklin County Jail since his arrest.
“This case was worked by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and they put in countless hours to make sure he was brought to justice,” Rushing said. “And we couldn’t have solved this case without the people of the Shoals and Phil Campbell providing information to law enforcement which assisted in his conviction. That just shows how important community involvement and awareness can be in some cases.”