Poplar Bluff couple charged with robbing Essex bank

BLOOMFIELD — The dissemination of a photograph of an alleged robber inside the Southern Bank branch at Essex has led to a Poplar Bluff couple facing charges.

Glenn Hamilton and Jamie Y. White were charged Tuesday with the Class A felony of first-degree robbery by Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver.

Warrants for the arrest of Hamilton and White were issued by Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield, who ordered both be held without bond.

White was in custody at press time, but Hamilton had yet to be arrested.

Hamilton was released from parole April 17 on previous convictions of second degree murder and other crimes. He remains on parole for felony possession of cocaine. He is considered armed and dangerous, according to authorities.

After her arrest, White was formally arraigned by Satterfield, according to Casenet.

White, who was not released from custody following her initial appearance in court, was ordered to appear before Satterfield at 9 a.m. Oct. 31 with her attorney for a review of her case.

Both White and Hamilton are charged with robbing the Southern Bank branch, located at 101 Trotter St. in Essex.

Just before noon Monday, a black male entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash, according to Dexter Police Detective Eddie Holloway’s probable-cause affidavit.

“The suspect then called the teller a ‘bitch’ and stated, ‘I will kill you,’” Holloway said. “(The teller) stated the male subject moved his hand to his side and (she) assumed he had a gun, but never saw a gun.

“(She) stated as he put his hand to his side, she heard a sound like Velcro being pulled apart.”

Holloway said the teller reported she handed the man, later identified as Hamilton, nearly $1,900.

Both the teller and a witness told officers the suspect then left the bank.

The Stoddard County Major Case Squad subsequently was activated to investigate the robbery.

“During the course of the investigation, a still photograph was developed from the bank surveillance and was given to the local media,” Holloway said.

Authorities, he said, received a tip from a man who reported the suspect had been at his place of employment, looking to buy a vehicle.

Holloway said the man further reported his boss knew the man as Glenn and that he lived off of Township Line Road in a mobile home near a body shop.

Holloway said he and Dexter Detective Cory Mills contacted the body shop owner, who reported “a black male he identifies as Glenn lives with a female (White) who rents a mobile home from him.”

When shown the photo of the robbery suspect, “(he) positively identified the black male he knows as Glenn,” Holloway said.

The detectives then reportedly contacted White at her residence.

White, according to Holloway, told officers she lived with her boyfriend, Hamilton.

When shown the photo of the robbery suspect, Holloway said, White positively identified the suspect as her boyfriend.

White, he said, reported she last saw Hamilton at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when he left the residence wearing a dark-colored jogging suit and driving her dark gray Ford Escape.

Holloway said he later was contacted by White, who reported her daughter’s boyfriend, Dustin Arbuckle, had information about Hamilton.

Arbuckle reported Hamilton asked him about two weeks ago “if he would drive a car so that he could rob a bank.

“Glenn told Arbuckle he had it all planned out, and he had the bank picked out. Glenn told him if he would drive him, he would give him $2,000,” Holloway said.

Arbuckle, Holloway said, further reported Hamilton had asked him “several times over the past two weeks to drive him so he could rob it.”

Hamilton, according to Arbuckle’s statement, left the house wearing a dark-colored sweat suit and dark-colored zip-up hoodie jacket.

Holloway said Arbuckle also positively identified Hamilton from the photo and identified the “beanie hat” the suspect was wearing.

As the investigation continued, Holloway said, officers reviewed the surveillance video and found the driver of the suspect vehicle was a white female, similar in appearance to White.

Holloway said he and Mills returned to White’s residence, where they told her of her rights.

“We confronted Mrs. White that she was seen in the video driving the vehicle Glenn Hamilton was in when he robbed the Essex bank,” Holloway said. “(She) stated she was driving the vehicle.”

White, Holloway said, reported when she and Hamilton woke, “he told her to drive him to Essex.

“Mrs. White stated Glenn told her where to turn and stop. Once inside Essex, (she) stated Glenn told her to park in front of a boarded-up store.”

Hamilton, according to White’s statement, got out and returned about two minutes later.

Holloway said White reported Hamilton again told her where to turn and to drive to Dexter.

“Mrs. White stated they drove to Bernie, then to Fisk and then back to her residence,” Holloway said. “(She) stated she did not know Glenn was going to rob a bank when they drove to Essex.”

Hamilton’s criminal history reportedly includes an earlier robbery charge, as well as other violent felonies.

Charged as a prior and persistent offender, Hamilton previously was convicted of the Class A felony of second-degree murder and the felonies of first-degree robbery and first-degree assault in September 1991 and the felony of second-degree assault in June 1989.

Hamilton’s convictions were all in the Circuit Court of St. Louis City.

According to a Probation and Parole official, Hamilton was released on parole in 2014 on his murder, assault, robbery and the related armed criminal action charges. His parole expired on those charges on April 17.

Hamilton reportedly remains on parole on the felony of possession of cocaine in or about the premises of a correctional facility. That parole expires on Oct. 17, 2020.