Rochester Bank Robber Sentenced to Probation
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County judge today granted a Chicago man's request for a downward departure in sentencing for his conviction stemming from a bank robbery in Rochester two years ago.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, prosecutors requested a 29-month prison sentence for 33-year-old Jacari Peters, but the judge in the case agreed to stay the prison time and placed him on probation for five years. The sentencing order also included 369 days in jail. He will not have to serve that time because he was also given credit for the 369 days he had spent in jail since his arrest
In September, Peters entered a guilty plea in to a felony charge of simple robbery for a holdup at the Sterling State Bank near the South Walmart store that occurred in September 2021. The prosecution of his case was delayed because he was initially ruled incompetent to stand trial and was civilly committed due to mental illness.
According to the charges, Peters entered the bank wearing a surgical mask and threw a white grocery-style bag on the counter before he demanded a female bank employee to "give me your money." The court document says he did not display a weapon during the robbery, but the bank teller told police he "had his right hand in his front jacket pocket."
The criminal complaint says Peters fled from the bank with just under $1600 in cash. Some of it included documented "bait money" that had been placed in the bag by the bank employee.
He was arrested a short time later after law enforcement officers responded to an attempted bank robbery in Pine Island. The description of the would-be robber matched that of the man sought in connection with the Rochester robbery. Court records state that his car was searched and the stolen money from the Rochester holdup was recovered.
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