Leon Wayne Stoutt, 35, of Hillsboro has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for bank robbery and drug possession, according to court papers.
Stoutt, who previously lived in Arnold, pleaded guilty to one count of stealing from a bank and one count of possession of a controlled substance, both felonies, and on May 23, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joe Rathert sentenced him to 10 years for the stealing offense and seven years for the drug offense. However, the sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, court records show.
On Jan. 30, 2017, Stoutt entered Midwest BankCentre, 1030 Imperial Main St., and gave a letter to a teller demanding she give him the money from her cash drawer. The teller gave him $2,740, and Stoutt left the bank, the probable-cause statement said.
Authorities asked for help to identify the thief and posted surveillance photos on social media sites, and that same day, they went to a home in the 6400 block of North Lakeshore Drive in Hillsboro, where Stoutt was found, and took him into custody. At the time, he denied involvement in the robbery, the report said.
The next day, authorities were given permission to search a wooded area behind the Hillsboro home, and they found $2,120 in cash, as well as a blue hooded sweatshirt with a St. Louis County emblem, blue jeans, green tennis shoes and a gray sock hat with “STL” on it. The clothing was consistent with what the man in the surveillance video from the bank robbery was wearing. Stoutt was interviewed again and confessed to the robbery, saying he took the money “due to financial hardships.” He also said “it was not his intention to hurt anyone,” according to the report.
On Feb. 5, 2018, Stoutt was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over on Old Hwy. 21 near West Rock Creek Road in Imperial, and he was found with heroin and methamphetamine, the probable-cause statement said.
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski handled the cases.
Stoutt currently is in the Eastern Reception and Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.