Lawyer who robbed 3 banks and shot state trooper gets 24 years
A Missouri lawyer admitted to shooting a state trooper who pulled him over last year as the attorney was attempting to make a getaway after a bank robbery.
On Thursday, Warren Gladders was sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison in the St. Louis case. The 65-year-old still faces sentencing in a related state-court case, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The trooper, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was not seriously injured. But the trooper, his family and bank personnel were emotionally traumatized, said assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rea.
A Washington University law graduate who co-owned a laundry equipment business at the time of the crimes, Gladders accepted responsibility by pleading guilty to three bank robberies and a firearm charge earlier this year. However, he has never explained why he did what he did.
Although he declined interview requests, it appears that he may have been motivated by money troubles, the Post-Dispatch reports.
Gladders was suspended from practice in August due to his guilty plea, a Missouri Supreme Court website page says.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “News reports: Law grad charged in bank robbery; state trooper shot during getaway”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer pleads guilty in 3 bank robberies, admits shooting state trooper”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Motive for St. Louis lawyer turned bank robber has friends, family, authorities baffled”
