Sioux Falls Man Gets 5 Years in Prison for Bank Robbery

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A 45-year-old Sioux Falls man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for robbing a local bank.

Rickey Starks was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in July to bank robbery. The Argus Leader reports that he walked into the Dacotah Bank on March 5 armed with a pellet gun, demanded a teller fill a backpack with cash and then fled with nearly $9,000.

Police released surveillance footage and photos of the suspect after the robbery and received tips from people who recognized Starks. He was arrested at his home after a three-hour standoff with police.

Starks apologized to the women working at the bank during the robbery and said he was depressed, unemployed and needed money.

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