SERVING ASCENSION, ASSUMPTION & ST. JAMES PARISHES

Baton Rouge Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery of Ascension Parish Bank

          On March 10, 2020 during jury selection prior to the start of his scheduled trial, Tony Williams of 7375 Hanks Dr. Baton Rouge, LA., age 43, pled guilty to Simple Robbery and Theft Valued Greater Than $1,000. Williams was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert. This guilty plea was the result of a last-minute plea agreement with prosecutors in connection with a 2018 bank robbery.

          On August 8, 2018, officers with the Gonzales Police Department responded to a local bank in reference to a robbery. Upon arrival, it was learned that a black male subject wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, black shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes entered the bank and handed the teller a blue plastic shopping bag along with a hand written note instructing her to fill the bag with money. The teller did as instructed and the robber fled with approximately $5,300 in cash. Detectives observed a male subject matching the description of the suspect and individual identified in the surveillance video walking on foot a short distance away from the bank. A detective made contact with the subject who was identified as Tony Williams. Williams voluntarily traveled with the detective to the Police Department. Detectives advised Williams of his rights and conducted a formal interview. During the interview, Williams confessed to committing the robbery, but would not confirm where the money was. A search warrant was executed at a residence where Williams was staying less than a mile away from the bank. During the search, detectives located a blue plastic shopping bag which contained $4,750 in cash. Williams was subsequently arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges, pursuant to the plea agreement with prosecutors, Williams was sentenced to 10 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.