KINGMAN – A Bullhead City bank robber was sentenced to prison after entering a plea agreement in Kingman on Tuesday, February 18. Marcus Leson Davis, 39, California, accepted responsibility for the incident last November 22 at the Mission Bank branch located at 1455 Palma Way.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney Bob Moon said it was about 11:00 a.m. when the ex-con, fugitive entered the bank wearing dark clothing. He said Davis handed a teller providing a cash demand note, which included a veiled threat.
“Don’t make me hurt you, put the money in the bag,” or words of that nature, were included in the demand note, Moon told Judge Billy Sipe. He said Davis fled with $2,881 but that arriving officers disrupted the get-away with a quick capture outside the bank.
Moon said all of the cash and the demand note were recovered.
“This is not a victimless crime,” said Susan Barboa, speaking on behalf of the Mission Bank employees who were at work during the robbery. “When Mr. Davis robbed us that day, he took our sense of security and safety away.”
Barboa said robberies negatively impact relationships with customers, prompting bank employees to be on guard, suspicious and less trusting of the public.
“Robbery is such an intensive crime,” Judge Sipe agreed. “It’s a frightening experience.”
Davis was convicted of robbery in a plea deal that included the possibility of probation, while restricting prison punishment to no more than 2.5 years.
Moon urged the Court to reject defense counsel pleas for probation, citing Davis’ robbery related conviction and prison sentence in 2004. Judge Sipe noted that Davis was also convicted of a drug offense in 2013 and was wanted for robbery in Pennsylvania at the time of the Bullhead bank job.
“Clearly the teller and the other tellers have been emotionally harmed by the conduct of the defendant,” Sipe said, ordering the 30-month prison term. “There is no path to probation. You can’t commit a bank robbery and expect to get probation.”
