RICHMOND —
Two men accused of an Iowa bank robbery pleaded guilty Thursday in Madison Circuit Court to receiving stolen property less than $10,000, a Class D felony.
Both men entered Alford pleas. By entering an Alford plea, a defendant admits that enough evidence exists for prosecutors to convince a jury the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but does not actually admit to performing the crime of which they are accused.
On Dec. 18, 2009, three men, two from Florida and one from Iowa, were arrested after deputies with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office spotted a black Chevrolet Suburban traveling south on Interstate 75 near Berea. The sheriff’s office had received a call earlier that morning urging deputies to be on the lookout for a black Chevrolet Impala being driven by a black male who had allegedly robbed a bank in Dubuque, Iowa.
Deputies ran the license plate on the Suburban and realized it was expired, performed a traffic stop and arrested Darrell Christopher Moore, 22, of Miami, Michael Bernard Holton, of Pompano Beach, Fla., and Travis Antonio Strowbridge, 23, of Dubuque. They had left the Impala in Galena, Ill., and switched to the Suburban there.
The men had allegedly robbed U.S. Bank tellers Dec. 17, 2009, in Dubuque as they were putting money into the bank’s ATM machine.
A search of the Suburban by law enforcement yielded $45,000 in $20 bills.
Holton and Strowbridge both entered Alford pleas to reduced charges Thursday as part of a plea agreement. Moore is on bond in Iowa.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office is recommending that both Holton and Strowbridge be sentenced to three years in prison.
Moore is scheduled to appear in circuit court for a pretrial conference Sept. 16, where he likely will enter a plea.
A sentencing for Holton and Strowbridge is scheduled for Oct. 14.
All three men were originally charged with receiving stolen property greater than $10,000. Had Holton and Strowbridge been convicted of the original charge, they could have each faced up to 10 years in prison.
Holton and Strowbridge had waived extradition to Iowa, where they faced charges of second-degree robbery, however those charges were dismissed. Moore also was charged, but those charges, too, were dismissed.
Madison County Commonwealth’s Attorney David Smith said new charges might be filed against the men, however, he said no new charges had been filed as of Friday.
A jury trial in the case had been scheduled to start Tuesday.
Emily Burton may be reached at eburton@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694. Follow Emily on Twitter at, RR_EBurton@twitter.com
Local News
Alford plea for two suspected in Iowa robbery
- Local News
-
-
‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.
Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).
Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School. -
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year. -
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report. -
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day
Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
-
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
-
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed. - More Local News Headlines
-


