Ryan Schrum, 31, of Rolla has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing the First Community Credit Union inside the Twin City Walmart. He was arrested in Colorado two days after the robbery, court documents said.
Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Joseph Alfred Rathert sentenced Schrum, who also has lived in Crystal City and De Soto, on Oct. 6 to 15 years for first-degree robbery. Schrum had pleaded guilty to the robbery on June 20, court records show.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Schrum entered the credit union that is near the front of the Walmart store, 650 S. Truman Blvd., in Crystal City at about 11:55 a.m. Oct. 12, 2022. He handed the teller a handwritten note that demanded she give him “all the money” and said he had a gun and would shoot anyone who tried to stop him.
The teller gave Schrum $3,290, and he then left the credit union and store. He was seen in surveillance video wearing a black Nike hat, blue medical mask, red hooded jacket, white undershirt, black shorts and black tennis shoes with white soles, the report said.
He also had long hair protruding from the back of the hat and a full beard that could be seen protruding from the mask, according to the report.
Schrum was seen in surveillance video throwing the mask, hat and jacket into trash cans in the store's parking lot. Investigators recovered each of the discarded items, the probable-cause statement said.
Schrum also was seen in surveillance video at a nearby Mobil on the Run gas station, 620 S. Truman Blvd., in Festus after the robbery. He was identified by his full beard, long hair and a skull with bat wings tattoo on this right forearm, the report said.
A Festus Police officer also recognized Schrum from surveillance video after having previous encounters with him, according to the report.
Investigators learned Schrum boarded an Amtrak train to travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., following the robbery. FBI agents arrested Schrum on Oct. 14 when he exited the train, Crystal City Police reported.
Schrum currently is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Courtney Goodwin handled the case.