A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years for taking part in an armed robbery at a Stilwell bank and leading police on a high speed chase with a child in his car, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Gary Jordan, 40, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.
In his plea, Jordan admitted that on March 9, 2016, he and co-defendant Jacob L. Smith, 19, Kansas City, Kan., were armed with handguns when they entered the First National Bank at 7460 W. 199th St. in Stilwell, Kan. They held tellers at gunpoint before fleeing with cash stuffed in a backpack. Jordan took the wheel of the getaway car.
During the next 25 minutes, the robbers were pursued by the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department and other law enforcement agencies as they fled across the Kansas-Missouri state line.
During the chase, Smith fired at officers six times from the car. After the car overturned on a sharp turn, the defendants were arrested.
Throughout the chase, co-defendant Danille Morris, 27, Kansas City, Kan., and her 19-month-old child were in the car. She is set for sentencing Jan. 26. Jacob Smith is set for sentencing Jan. 17.
Beall commended all the agencies that assisted in the investigation including the FBI, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, as well as the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley.