A St. Paul bank robber who pocketed over $28,000 in a heist earlier this year, ironically wishing the tellers a warm day, has been sentenced to cool his heels in prison for the next 50 months. 42-year-old Andre Christopher Nelson, having been pegged with one count of armed bank robbery and another count of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, struck a plea that led to the firearm charge being dismissed.
According to KSTP 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, after Nelson serves his time, he faces three years of supervised release. The state charges against him were dropped, given his federal sentencing, avoiding a trial that was slated to begin on December 13.
Details from the original incident, as reported by TwinCities.com, paint a scene where Nelson, donned in a skull mask and armed, boldly directed three tellers to load his grocery bag with cash. The report details the cool demeanor of a man who could casually stroll into a bank, gun and bag in hand, and then stroll out with a deceptive well-wishing for those he had just terrorized.
Nelson's temporary escape was short-lived. Thanks to some of the stolen money being tracked, police nabbed him between buildings on Wilson Avenue and found him sporting the same disguise elements he used in the robbery. This calculating robber, who once roamed freely, will now find his radius dramatically reduced to the confines of a federal prison cell.
