Hoosac Bank Robber Pleads Guilty
 Lt. David Sacco takes Bywaters into custody on May 23, 2008. A device thought to be an explosive can be seen sitting on the sidewalk by the robber's knee. |
"We won one," said North Adams Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco on Wednesday. "It's pretty tough to beat [the rap] when you catch him like that."
Robert A. Bywaters, 56, of Schenectady, N.Y., pleaded guilty to a single count of armed robbery, four counts of kidpnapping, four counts of intimidation to steal from a depository and a single count of possession of a hoax device.
Judge John A. Agostini ordered he serve concurrent 12- to 15-year sentences at the Massachusetts Correctional Facility at Cedar Junction on the armed robbery and intimidation to steal from a depository charges. Bywaters was given concurrent nine- and 10-year sentences on the kidnapping charges and a concurrent year in Berkshire County House of Correction on the hoax device charge.
Single counts of armed robbery while masked, armed assault with intent to murder and possession of an infernal machine, and four counts of armed assault with intent to rob, were dismissed at the request of the state.
Bywaters had a long list of aliases and lengthy criminal record.
"From my personal perspective then and seeing what it put our employees through, 15 years is not enough, speaking as an ex-banker," said Mayor Richard Alcombright, a vice president at Hoosac when the robbery occurred. "I'm very, very happy they were able to put this person away for a long time."
Bywaters was taken into custody as soon as he exited the Hoosac Bank on May 23, 2008, but his claims of possessing a bomb shut down Main Street for hours as state bomb removal experts were called in to remove a package he dropped on the sidewalk in front of the bank.
Bywaters was walking out of the front just as Alcombright was walking in the back.
"I was with a commercial customer," said Alcombright on Wednesday evening, and was returning from the Center Street parking lot. "One of the officers ran through the back door. I ran to the front and saw him taken down."
 Main Street was closed off for nearly eight hours. |
One of the women managed to contact police as she was ordered to fill a nylon bag full of money. Police were in place when Bywaters walked out carrying some $30,000 and swiftly took him into custody.
In speaking to police, several employees credited the training they had received with helping them through the ordeal.
"You train for that on a regular basis," said Alcombright. "The plans did make a huge difference with that situation. ... Our staff reacted flawlessly. Everyody did the right thing."
Still, Morocco said, "the people there were definitely traumatized by it." Alcombright agreed, "these are good friends of mine, to see these people hurting with this for weeks ... "I'm very happy to see him put away."
As for the "bomb," it was never determined for sure if Bywaters had an explosive because it was exploded by the bomb squad. It definitely looked like an explosive, said Morocco.
"There's been three bank robberies where we stopped them in North Adams — Cheshire, Williamstown and the Hoosac Bank," he said. "Nobody got out of North Adams, nobody got away."
Related stories:
| Alleged Bank Robber Arraigned in Superior Court NORTH ADAMS - 07-01-2008 - The man accused of attempting to rob a North Adams bank was arraigned Tuesday morning in Berkshire Superior Court on a... |
| Suspect Charged in Bank Robbery NORTH ADAMS - 05-27-2008 - If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to life imprisonment. He is being held on $500,000 bail or $5 million surety... |
| Bank Heist Foiled; Downtown Cleared Safely NORTH ADAMS - 05-23-2008 - No one was hurt in the robbery although bank employees were shaken up by the incident. |
