Fulton Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robberies, Faces 30 Years in Federal Prison

Series of Armed Robberies Culminated in Shoot-Out with Officers

April 22, 2010 - KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Fulton, Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a series of armed bank robberies that culminated in a vehicle pursuit and shoot-out with law enforcement officers.

William Alan Wolfe, 29, of Fulton, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Scott O. Wright this morning to two counts of armed robbery and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Wolfe would be sentenced to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

Co-defendant Michael A. Leak, 19, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, 2010, to two counts of aiding and abetting another person in armed bank robberies. Leak also pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Wolfe admitted that he stole $25,561 at gunpoint from the Bank of Brookfield in Winigan, Missouri on July 2, 2009. Wolfe pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a teller and demanded that she give him money. Leak admitted that he drove the getaway vehicle, a Buick LeSabre.

Wolfe also admitted that he stole $12,060 from the F and C Bank in Holden, Mo., on July 8, 2009. Wolfe was armed with a handgun when he entered the bank, approached a teller, and demanded that she give him money from her drawer. Leak admitted that he drove the get-away vehicle during that robbery, as well.

The LeSabre was spotted approximately three miles east of the F and C Bank by a deputy sheriff with the Johnson County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his lights and sirens. Wolfe repeatedly shot at the pursuing deputy with a semi-automatic rifle, striking his vehicle multiple times and disabling it. The Chief of Police for the Holden, Missouri Police Department continued to pursue Wolfe and Leak. During the pursuit, Wolfe continued to shoot at the police chief’s vehicle, striking the windshield and disabling the vehicle.

During a search for the robbers, the LeSabre was found engulfed in flames in Chilhowee, Missouri. A flatbed pickup truck, stolen from a nearby home, was later located near Boonville, Missouri where it was partially submerged in the Missouri River.

Under federal statutes, Leak is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole on each of the bank robbery charges, plus a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison without parole for the firearm violation. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Johnson County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, and the Holden, Missouri Police Department.