LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 6, 2000

HAHNVILLE – The state’s successful prosecution of bank robbers who struck last fall in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes will result in longerprison sentences, according to District Attorney Harry Morel.

Morel, of the 29th Judicial District, saw a St. Charles Parish jury return aguilty verdict against Ronnie White of LaPlace on May 31.

Just 11 days before that, another jury also found Bryan Loper of Reserve guilty of robbing the Hibernia Bank branch in Norco on Sept. 9, 1999.”We could have let the federal authorities handle the bank robbery case, but we believed they would get more time in the state system where the judge’s hands aren’t tied by sentencing guidelines,” Morel commented.

In federal court, the convicted man may get an eight-year sentence. In statecourt, a 99-year sentence is possible.

Prosecutor Kim McElwee told the court that Loper and White entered the bank at 10:18 a.m. while a third person, Charles Holmes of LaPlace, waited intheir Toyota 4-Runner.

Inside the bank, the masked men held the tellers and customers at bay with firearms and took a bag of cash. Once outside the bank they entered theirvehicle parked near Good Hope Street and managed to escape. They werearrested at 10:26 a.m. by St. John deputies at the corner of West Fifth andFir streets in LaPlace. A red-dye packet with the money had exploded in theirfaces. The cash was recovered.White’s attorney, Maria Chaisson, argued that White had entered the vehicle after the robbery and was unaware that a crime had taken place. Loper,however, allegedly confessed and Holmes likewise testified against White.

The jury took one hour to decide against White.

Morel continued, “We’re confident the sentence will reflect the severity of the crime,” and said Judge Kirk Granier is set to pronounce sentence July 24 at 10 a.m.Loper and White also face charges for Hibernia Bank robberies in Reserve and LaPlace.

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