Blackshear Residents Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms for Armed Bank Robbery

DUBLIN, GA—NOEL ARNOLD, 35, JIMMY LEE MCBRIDE, 25, and BRITTANY RINER, 25, all from Blackshear, Georgia, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms yesterday in federal district court for the armed bank robbery of the Citizens Bank & Trust (CB&T) that occurred in Chauncey, Georgia on September 2, 2010. That CB&T branch is now closed due to security concerns following the robbery.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “These armed robbers put the lives of bank employees in jeopardy while they helped themselves to the bank’s money. In return for their violent criminal acts, they have now been handed decades of federal prison time. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute violent criminals to ensure the safety of those at their work places and in our community.”

According to evidence presented during the defendants’ guilty plea and sentencing hearings, RINER drove ARNOLD and MCBRIDE from Waycross, Georgia to the Chauncey, Georgia CB&T in order to rob the bank at gunpoint. At around 9:00 a.m. on September 2, 2010, ARNOLD and MCBRIDE, both armed with firearms, entered the bank; forced two employees into a separate room where they were told, at gunpoint, to sit on the ground with their eyes closed; and robbed the bank of approximately $25,403 in United States currency.

ARNOLD was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison; RINER was sentenced to 15 years; and MCBRIDE was sentenced to over 13 years (135 months in prison). Mr. Tarver noted that there is no parole in the federal system. All of the defendants were sentenced to an additional five years of supervised release upon their release from prison and were ordered to pay CB&T restitution.

This case was brought to the United States Attorney’s Office by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, and the Waycross Police Department. Mr. Tarver recognized the extensive efforts of all agencies in bringing this criminal activity to light, and particularly praised the efforts of Statesboro FBI Special Agent Marcus Kirkland, who investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Lee prosecuted the case for the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.