A Kansas City man accused of robbing Central Bank of Sedalia in 2015 has been found guilty of the crime.
David O. Waters III, 28, was found guilty of first degree robbery at the conclusion of a one-day jury trial Thursday at the Pettis County Courthouse.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. June 5.
Waters was initially charged in November 2015 with first degree robbery and armed criminal action after he robbed Central Bank of Sedalia, 301 W. Broadway Blvd. He was indicted by a grand jury in January 2016 and entered a plea of not guilty.
Pettis County Prosecuting Attorney Phillip Sawyer told the Democrat on Friday he dismissed the armed criminal action charge the morning of the trial because a gun was not found.
According to a Sedalia Police Department report, at 11:40 a.m. Nov. 20, 2015, SPD received a report that Central Bank had been robbed. A witness stated the suspect indicated he was armed, demanded money and then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
According to court documents, Waters handed a teller a note that read “I need that money. Gun in my pocket. One wrong move your (sic) dead. Start with the money on top.” SPD Detective Josh Howell said the weapon was never shown or used, according to the witness.
SPD officers checked video surveillance footage at nearby convenience stores, finding Waters had entered Break Time across the street at 10:56 a.m. Officers also saw him enter a vehicle, which was later stopped when Waters was arrested in the 100 block of East Chestnut Avenue. Waters was questioned by officers at SPD, but denied any involvement in the robbery.
The Sedalia crime wasn’t the first time Waters was involved with a robbery. According to court documents, he has a prior conviction for second degree robbery and armed criminal action in Kansas City and was on probation/parole for those charges at the time of the Sedalia robbery.
