FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- A Van Buren man has admitted to robbing an Arvest Bank in July of more than $8,000.
Roy Dean Lamproe, 43, pleaded guilty Wednesday (Oct. 30) in U.S. District Court to one count of bank robbery.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing hearing hasn't been set.
Authorities said Lamproe walked into the bank at 3015 Arkansas 64 around 3 p.m. on July 2 and threatened two tellers with an object they believed was a gun, according to court documents.
The tellers said Lamproe had two boxes, one of which he claimed was a bomb, and another he wanted to be filled with money. The tellers handed over more than $8,116 before Lamproe ran off.
An FBI agent and former Van Buren police officer reviewed bank surveillance footage and recognized Lamproe from previous incidents.
Authorities tracked Lamproe to his mother’s house on Mulberry Street, where they found him hiding inside. They also located a box with stolen money.
Lamproe was the second person to rob an Arvest Bank in the River Valley in a three-month span.
Jaime Leonel Reinosa-Salguero, of Springdale, in May robbed an Arvest Bank in Alma of $7,000 before leading multiple police agencies on a chase on Interstate 49.
Authorities had to shut down the highway near the Bobby Hopper Tunnel while trying to arrest Reinosa-Salguero. Arkansas State Police eventually subdued him after a brief shootout.
Reinosa-Salguero also pleaded guilty earlier this month in federal court to bank robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
He faces up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 fine.