Suspect arrested shortly after Cape bank robbery

~ The Maryland man was stopped by the highway patrol near Miner, Mo.

Only 30 minutes passed between a Saturday morning robbery at the US Bank branch on William Street in Cape Girardeau and the arrest of a suspect.

At 11:01 a.m. Cape Girardeau police responded to a report of a robbery at the bank. By the time police arrived the suspect was gone, but information provided by witnesses helped police quickly catch the perpetrator.

Witnesses told police the suspect drove away in a white Ford truck and provided a license plate number. That information led to the arrest of William Marcus White III, of Mechanicsville, Md., by the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 11:32 a.m. just south of Miner, Mo.

According to a probable-cause affidavit, bank employees said White entered the bank and handed the teller a note that said, "I have a gun. No cops. I'll kill. $100. $50." White repeated his threats to kill bank employees but never showed them a gun.

The physical description of White and the truck he was driving led to his subsequent arrest in Scott County.

Following the arrest, police put White's photo in a photo lineup and he was identified as the robber by several bank employees. White had 26 $100 bills in his possession when he was arrested, the same amount US Bank reported stolen, the affadavit said.

Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Barry Hovis said the truck White was driving was registered in another person's name.

Police contacted the owner of the vehicle Saturday afternoon and found that it wasn't stolen.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said White has been charged with first-degree robbery, punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison. A person convicted of this crime must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, Swingle said.

Swingle charged White as a prior and persistent offender because he has a felony conviction for burglary in 1997 and for theft in 1996, both in Maryland.

White's bond has been set at $500,000.

The FBI was called in to investigate the crime, which could result in federal charges later.

msanders@semissourian.com

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