Crime & Safety

Shelton Man Jailed for 4 Years For Westport Bank Robbery

A knife-wielding bank robber from Shelton was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for holding up a Westport bank in December 2012, according to the Connecticut Post.

The hearing for James Watson's sentencing took place in Stamford Superior Court, where Watson's lawyer said Watson was in debt and needed money for Christmas, according to the Post. He left the bank with $972, the lawyer said. 

On Dec. 21, 2012, according to Westport police, Watson, 45, entered the Citibank branch at 399 Post Road West and approached a teller. He showed the teller a knife and passed a note demanding money.

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After being handed cash, he walked out of the bank.

Police said evidence from the robbery, including the trench coat the robber was wearing, along with a baseball hat and the knife were found on North Sylvan Road a short time after the crime was reported.

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Police said detectives developed information that Watson had been in the Hudson Valley Bank at 420 Post Road West shortly before the robbery at Citibank.

Watson received a 10-year sentence suspended after he serves four years, and three years probation, under a plea agreement reached this past summer, according to the Post.


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