Bank robber gets 15 years in prison for last stop on his spree

A man who went on a bank robbery spree in Florida, Georgia and Alabama before ultimately robbing the Florida Central Credit Union in Sarasota earlier this year has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Avery Williams, 36, pleaded no contest to the bank robbery on Wednesday. Circuit Judge Charles E. Roberts sentenced him to 15 years of prison and designated him a three-time violent felony offender.

Williams could have faced up to 40 years in prison because of his criminal history. He has prior convictions for multiple robberies.

On May 3, Williams walked into the Florida Central Credit Union in the 3400 block of Cattlemen Road and handed the teller a note that read, “Robbery! I got a gun! All the $100, $50, $20 NOW!,” according to a news release. The teller gave Williams all the money she had in her drawer, and he fled before deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office had arrived.

“Williams didn’t know it but she also gave him a dye pack. Witnesses saw him running down Cattlemen Road with the red dye pack exploding in his pocket,” according to the release.

Williams, who had run to a nearby neighborhood, was quickly arrested after being held at gunpoint by a homeowner in the 2800 block of Indianwood Way.

Williams told a deputy he had come to Sarasota with the intention to rob a bank. He ultimately confessed to the robbery and a spree of bank robberies leading up to it.

Detectives and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation initially considered having him prosecuted federally. They opted for state charges because sentencing laws regarding repeat violent offenders are more strict, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Bank robber gets 15 years in prison for last stop on his spree."