HERMITAGE TOWNE PLAZA Bank robber strikes plea deal

Authorities said the Clevelander got more than $500,000 during the robbery spree.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- A man who authorities said liked to wear a business suit and carry a fake bomb when he robbed banks has admitted robbing the First National Bank of Pennsylvania in Hermitage Towne Plaza on July 25, 2003.
The admission was part of a plea agreement accepted by David Earl Hill, 48, of Oakhill Road, Cleveland, in a recent hearing in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Guilty pleas
At the hearing, Hill pleaded guilty to the Feb. 12, 2004, robbery of the Flagstar Bank in Delta Township in Michigan. Authorities said he took $17,750 in that robbery.
As part of his plea agreement, Hill also admitted six other robberies, including the First National Bank robbery here, which netted him $193,000.
In that case, Hill, wearing a a dark wig and a rumpled suit, entered the bank and asked for the branch manager. He was taken to the manager's office and produced a package that he said was a bomb and a portable radio that he said was a remote-controlled detonation device.
He ordered the manager to take him to the vault, where he helped himself to $193,000 in cash and then left, leaving the purported bomb behind and warning that it would explode in 30 minutes if police were called.
The bomb turned out to be a videocassette, but authorities had to wait for two hours for the Allegheny Bomb Squad to arrive from Pittsburgh to examine the device.
Authorities said Hill used the same scheme in robbing a bank in Erie and was trying the same tactic again in the Feb. 12, 2004, Michigan robbery.
In that case, however, a bank employee was able to notify police, who caught Hill before he could get away.
Sentencing to come
Hill faces sentencing before District Judge David W. McKeague on Dec. 16, and the sentence will include penalties for the Michigan robbery and for the other six that Hill has admitted.
He could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Restitution also is always a part of federal sentencing.
In addition to the First National robbery in Hermitage, Hill confessed these robberies, according to the plea agreement:
UFeb. 25, 2003: Northwest Savings Bank in Erie, $30,200.
UApril 18, 2003: Comerica Bank in Ann Arbor, Mich., $80,000.
UJune 16, 2003: Bank One in Fort Wayne, Ind., $59,600.
UOct. 28, 2003: Flagstar Bank in Jackson, Mich., $135,000.
UFeb. 12, 2004: Flagstar Bank in Saginaw, Mich., $17,750.