Sikeston man pleads guilty to bank robbery

A Sikeston, Mo., man pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. district court to bank robbery.

Bradley G. Brown, 24, pleaded guilty to one felony count of bank robbery before U.S. District Judge Charles A. Shaw.

On Aug. 18, 2003, Brown entered the First Security State Bank of Sikeston, handed a note to a bank teller and demanded that she give him a quantity of the bank's money in $100 bills. In his note, Brown stated he had a bomb. He lifted his shirt and exposed a device taped to his waist that resembled a two-liter soft drink bottle.

The teller handed Brown $3,900 in $100 bills. Brown left the bank and walked a short distance away, where police apprehended him. The device taped to his waist was discovered to be a soft drink bottle covered by duct tape. All of the money was recovered.

Brown faces a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been set for March 14.