Greene County man charged with bank robbery

A Greene County man was charged in federal court Tuesday with robbing an Empire Bank branch in Springfield on Monday.

Curtis Ralls was charged with bank robbery in U.S. District Court in Springfield, and he remains in federal custody awaiting a detention hearing scheduled for Friday.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal complaint, Ralls entered the Empire Bank branch on North Glenstone Avenue at 3:24 p.m. Monday. He gave a note to the bank teller indicating he had a gun and demanding money.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri, a witness told police that he saw a man run behind a nearby gas station and drive off in a red pickup truck with no license plates. Ralls was arrested after a short pursuit.

Inside the vehicle, according to the affidavit, police found a jacket, sunglasses and gloves that matched those in bank surveillance footage, along with $1,720 – the amount stolen from the Empire Bank branch.

The attorney's office cautions that the charge is simply an accusation and not evidence of guilt. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office and was investigated by the FBI and the Springfield Police Department.