Versailles Bank robber found guilty

A 30-year-old man in Drexel has been convicted after shooting at law enforcement while fleeing a failed bank robbery. In November of 2017, Jacob Allen Monteer attempted to rob US Bank, on the 400th block of Newton Street in Versailles. Monteer, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, walked into the bank with a bandanna across his face and demanded money at gunpoint. He jumped over the teller station and opened the teller drawer, but when no money was found there Monteer fled from the bank in a stolen pick-up truck.

Monteer led law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit and even fired several shots at the police chief of Stover, who had set up a roadblock. Monteer then lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed. He attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by the sheriff of Morgan County. During their struggle, Monteer was able to fire a round from the sheriff’s AR-15 before being subdued.

Jacob Allen Monteer was found guilty one week ago, on one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms. The court’s verdict was announced today. Monteer remains in federal custody without bond.

Monteer is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 27 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole