Bank robber’s conviction, sentence affirmed by court
The federal 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and 87-year prison sentence of a Red River County man convicted of bank robbery, car jacking and other crimes by a jury in Texarkana last year.
Bobby Wayne Lance, 51, robbed a Bowie County convenience store, a Lamar County movie theater and a Franklin County bank on Nov. 8, 14, and 17, respectively, in 2015. Lance also stole a pickup truck from an employee as he fled the bank heist, netting himself additional charges, including car jacking.
While Lance attempted to disguise himself during his crimes by wearing nylons over his head, the hosiery did little to obscure the distinctive moustache Lance had shaved by the time his case went to trial. As Lance was leaving Carter’s Country Store in DeKalb after robbing it, he pulled the hose off of his head in full view of a surveillance camera.
A jury in Texarkana convicted Lance of all eight charges listed in an indictment in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas in March 2017. In June of that year, Lance was sentenced to serve 1,054 months in federal prison by
U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III.
In addition to a mandatory $800 special assessment, Schroeder also ordered Lance to pay more than $23,000 in restitution and ordered Lance to complete an inmate financial responsibility program while in prison. Lance received credit for the time he has spent in jail since his arrest Nov. 20, 2015. Lance could receive up to 54 days per year credit toward his sentence for good behavior. There is no parole from a federal prison sentence.
The federal appellate court rejected Lance’s arguments on appeal, including that witness identifications were unreliable or that a search of Lance’s home was unlawful.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker, Jonathan Ross and Robert Wells prosecuted the case.
Lance is currently serving his term at a federal prison in Beaumont, Texas. The Bureau of Prisons website indicates Lance’s projected release date as May 26, 2092.