Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Banks in Columbia Heights and Minneapolis

February 12, 2010 - Today in federal court in Minneapolis, a 29-year-old Missouri man pleaded guilty to robbing two Minnesota banks in November of 2009. Appearing before United States District Court Judge David S. Doty, Dorrell Emmanuel King, who was indicted on January 7, 2010, pled guilty to two counts of bank robbery. In his plea agreement, King admitted taking $3,750 from a US Bank in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, on November 17, 2009, and $3,460 from a TCF Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 19, 2009.

According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in this case, the US Bank was robbed at 1:30 p.m., November 17, 2009, by a lone man. After attempting unsuccessfully to obtain money via a check card, the man, later identified as King, gave a teller a pay stub with the word, “robbery,” written on it. Then, upon demanding and receiving cash, he fled the premises on foot.

The TCF Bank, located inside a Cub Foods store, was robbed at 2 p.m., November 19, 2009, again by a lone man. In that case, the man handed a teller a check stub with “10 stacks” written on it. He also gave the teller a pre-paid debit card and requested a cash advance against it. After seeing no name on the card, the teller refused to complete the transaction. As a result, the man, later identified as King, responded, “Okay, let me show you what I need.” He then wrote “robbery” on the check stub and gave it back to the teller. The teller, in return, gave him cash along with a dye pack. After grabbing what was provided, the man quickly left the premises.

Upon receiving a call for help immediately following the November 19 robbery, police responded to the scene. There they retrieved dye-stained money from the ground outside the Cub Foods store. Witnesses to the crime reported seeing a man, clouded in red smoke, walking away from the store. In addition, the store’s exterior surveillance video showed the dye pack exploding in the robber’s hands as he tried to get inside a parked taxi.

Shortly after the incident, a man matching the robber’s description was spotted in a nearby Target parking lot, ducking behind cars. The man was subsequently apprehended by law enforcement. At the time of his arrest, the man’s hands and clothing were stained with red dye.

King faces a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison for his crimes. Judge Doty will determine his sentence at a future date.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Columbia Heights Police Department