“Scarecrow Bandit” Sentenced to 330 Years in Federal Prison

February 22, 2010 - DALLAS—Today, U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle sentenced another “Scarecrow Bandit,” announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Jarvis Dupree Ross, a.k.a. “Dookie,” a.k.a.“Dapree Dollars,” a.k.a. “Fifty,” 30; was sentenced to 3960 months (330 years) in federal prison following his conviction for his role in numerous armed robberies in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. The “Scarecrow Bandits” were a group of seven individuals who committed a series of violent “takeover-style" bank robberies in the Dallas area between January and June 2008.

Ross, along with Corey Deyon Duffey, a.k.a. “Kenyo,” a.k.a. “Calvin Brown,” 29; Antonyo Reece, a.k.a. “Seven,” 32; Tony R. Hewitt, a.k.a. “PricelessT,” 43; and Charles Runnels, a.k.a. “Junior,” 43; were convicted at trial in August 2009. All were convicted on all but two counts of a superseding indictment charging multiple counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery; bank robbery; attempted bank robbery; and using firearms in relation to crimes of violence. Ross was also convicted on one count of kidnaping. Duffey, Hewitt, and Runnels were each convicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, while Ross was convicted on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Duffey was sentenced in January to 4253 months (354 years and five months) in prison and ordered to pay $355,976 in restitution. Reece was sentenced on February 4, 2010, to 1680 months (140 years) in prison. Hewitt, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 18, 2010, and Runnels is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15, 2010. Both face multiple life sentences.

Two defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial. Yolanda McDow, a.k.a. “Yo,” 34 pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery, two counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to conspiracy to commit bank robbery. She pleaded guilty to the five robberies in which she participated as a “lookout” for the group. In addition, following her arrest, she cooperated in the investigation and testified for the prosecution at the trial. She was sentenced in December 2009 to 190 months in prison and ordered to pay $336,976 in restitution. Darobie Kentay Stenline, a.k.a. “Fish,” a.k.a. “Dude White,” 31, pleaded guilty the week prior to trial to various conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery and firearms charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2010; he faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison.

The defendants were known as the Scarecrow Bandits by the FBI because they wore loose, sometimes plaid, shirts and floppy hats during the first several of the 21 robberies they are believed to have committed. During later robberies, however, their outfits changed to mostly black gear and they wore masks, gloves and body armor. At trial, the government presented evidence that the defendants conspired together to commit, committed, or attempted to commit, several armed bank robberies, as listed below:

June 2, 2008 Regions Bank
2245 West Campbell Road, Garland, Texas

May 2008 Bank of America
1431 Spring Valley Road, Richardson, Texas

May 2008 Bank of America
534 Centennial Road, Richardson, Texas

May 16, 2008 Bank of America
4751 South Hulen Road, Fort Worth, Texas

April 24, 2008 Bank of America
7300 North MacArthur Blvd., Irving, Texas

March 28, 2008 State Bank of Texas
517 West Interstate 30, Garland, Texas

March 28, 2008 Century Bank
3015 Frankford Road, Dallas, Texas

February 1, 2008 Comerica Bank
1483 North Hampton Road, Desoto, Texas

January 28, 2008 Citibank
2720 Beltline Road, Garland, Texas

According to evidence presented at trial, each robbery was well-organized and researched, executed with precision and discipline, and involved aggressive use of firearms (including assault rifles) and tasers by the defendants. The defendants routinely terrorized bank employees by pointing handguns within inches of their faces and threatening violence if their orders were not obeyed. In fact, in one robbery, a taser was discharged on a bank employee. They communicated using cell phones and walkie-talkies and generally spent less than two to three minutes inside each bank. Additionally, they always used stolen cars for their getaways.

The defendants were arrested in June 2008, after a foiled bank robbery in Garland, Texas. When law enforcement attempted to arrest Hewitt, who along with Duffey were the group’s leaders, he used his vehicle to lead them on a high-speed pursuit, attempting to avoid apprehension by entering a Costco store in Plano, Texas, where he was arrested after law enforcement was compelled to evacuate the store.

The same day, when law enforcement attempted to arrest Ross, who was in the same vehicle as Duffey, Duffey dropped Ross off at an apartment complex where he broke into an apartment and kidnapped an innocent victim at gunpoint, in hopes of thwarting apprehension. When law enforcement attempted to arrest Runnels and Reece, not only did they attempt to flee from law enforcement, but Runnels used his vehicle to ram the vehicles of the pursuing law enforcement officers.

U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the excellent investigative efforts of the Dallas, Richardson, Garland, DeSoto, Irving and Plano Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Tromblay, John Kull and Jay DeWald.