A district court judge handed the man who Colorado law enforcement dubbed the “Pom Pom Bandit” a six-year sentence for a spree of bank robberies in Arvada and Lakewood. As reported by CBS Denver, his nickname came from surveillance videos showing the defendant wearing a knit hat with a pom pom. If you are facing a felony accusation, the Law Offices of Elaine E. Lukic is well versed in the defense and sentencing differences between the various types of thefts, burglaries and robberies. There might be circumstances which may help lessen the length of imprisonment, if any time is ordered to be served at all.
On April 22, 2019, the Pom Pom Bandit pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery in Jefferson County District Court. Allegedly, he handed bank tellers a note demanding money and then ran away with the cash. Over a short period of time, one bank in Arvada and four in Lakewood provided him with cash totaling more than $18,000. Although there are no published reports of anyone being harmed or injured, the defendant was charged with robbery for purportedly using force, intimidation or threats to take the money. It is not apparent from the published news reports, however, what the notes that he handed over to the bank tellers had written on them. If a note contained language that a bank teller might interpret as a threat, it may be considered enough evidence for a robbery charge. Because the Pom Pom Bandit was charged with only two counts of robbery instead of five, each sentence he received came with three years of imprisonment.
A theft, burglary or robbery may be classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor offense depending on the amount of money allegedly taken and if there was a threat of force. When a weapon is not present during a theft, however, a defense strategy may attempt to magnify that detail in order to lessen the charge.
My page on theft and burglary defense provides more information on what you might expect if charged in Colorado.