BB Gun Bank Robber Gets 65 Years

A Rogers man who used a BB gun to rob several local banks received a 65-year prison sentence Wednesday morning.

Anthony Timothy Barnes, 34, pleaded guilty in Benton County Circuit Court to four counts of felony aggravated robbery in a plea deal worked out with the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office, said Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley.

Barnes could have faced life imprisonment on each robbery charge without a plea deal, Cearley said.

Barnes robbed four Rogers banks between 2009 and 2011, according to the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office. He attempted to rob a First Federal Bank in Rogers in July 2009 with a BB gun, but did not get away with any money because of the bank’s bullet-proof glass. Less than an hour later, Barnes robbed a Bank of the Ozarks in Rogers and made off with $2,500, according to court documents.

A teller at the Bank of the Ozarks slipped a tracking device into the cash bag, and Barnes was tracked down by police and arrested. He was later released from the Benton County Jail on bond.

Prosecutors also said Barnes robbed the First Western Bank in Rogers in May 2009.

While out of jail on bond, Barnes robbed the Metropolitan National Bank in Rogers, making off with about $25,000, according to an affidavit of probable cause. A eyewitness at the scene said Barnes appeared to be holding a BB gun during the robbery.

Rogers police arrested Barnes after seeing his face on bank surveillance video, according to court documents.

Documents state Barnes told police he was sorry and did not mean to hurt anyone.

Barnes may be eligible for parole in about 45 years.