Springfield man sentenced to prison for bank robbery

A Springfield man was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for a bank robbery.

James Givens, 39, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery in Clark County Common Pleas Court. He was sentenced by Clark County Common Pleas Judge Richard O’Neill.

“Defendant ordered to serve 18 months in prison with 127 days jail time credit,” online court records say. “Defendant ordered to pay all costs and fees.”

Springfield police began their investigation on Jan. 22 following reports of a bank robbery at Security National Bank, 920 W. Main St., according to an affidavit from the Clark County Municipal Court.

A bank teller told police that a man they believed to be in his 50s or 60s approached their desk and handed them a note.

The teller stated she refused to open the note, so the man opened it for her, according to a Springfield police report. The teller said that the man placed the note on the desk, and it read: “Give me all the money in your drawer.”

The teller then complied with the suspect’s demands.“She handed over an unknown amount of U.S. currency to the suspect, and then he fled on foot from the bank,” the affidavit says.

The suspect was seen wearing a blue puffy coat, dark pants, dark shoes, black and green gloves, and sunglasses, according to the affidavit.

Investigators later spoke with witnesses who saw a man fitting the description flee to a light blue car parked at a curb on North Jackson Street, according to the affidavit.

Givens was arrested a couple of days later after another bank robbery. In that case, investigators believe Amanda Alvarado, 35, robbed Key Bank on Burnett Road.

Givens and Alvarado were found together about an hour later. Investigators were able to conclude that Givens was the suspect in the first bank robbery.

The case against Alvarado is ongoing in Clark County Common Pleas Court.

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