COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man from Fairfield County, has pleaded guilty to a series of bank robberies that took place in the southern part of the state, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. William E. Johnson, 58, of Lancaster, confessed to carrying out armed robberies in Athens in August 2020 and in Marietta in October 2020.
Details from Johnson’s plea agreement reveal that on August 17, 2020, he wielded a firearm at Hocking Valley Bank on East State Street in Athens while disguised with a prosthetic forehead and nose, skin-toned arm sleeves, gloves, makeup, and a COVID mask. Johnson forced bank employees to lie on the floor before emptying several cash drawers, taking more than $25,000. After securing the employees’ hands with zip ties, Johnson demanded the bank manager hand over the keys to their car, which he used to flee the scene.
On October 22, 2020, Johnson targeted Citizens Bank on North Second Street in Marietta. Dressed in a full-length Halloween-style mask resembling an elderly man and a red hood, he brandished a gun and made his way behind the tellers’ counter. Johnson stole $11,390 from several drawers.
At the time of these robberies, Johnson was already wanted on an outstanding warrant for a pending indictment related to a bank robbery in Williamstown, West Virginia. Law enforcement officers spotted him driving in West Virginia on the night of the Marietta robbery and attempted to pull him over. Johnson tried to escape on foot, telling officers they would have to kill him to arrest him again. The officers used a Taser to subdue Johnson and took him into custody.
Upon searching Johnson’s vehicle, officers found over $9,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, zip ties, and his various disguises.
