Simmons Bank robbed by 14-year-old, who then turns self in

Nobody hurt, all money returned following head scratching heist last Friday in Mt. Vernon
It may have not been the first time David Hubert was summoned to a bank robbery, but it was his first time working one where the suspect was underage.
“I’ve seen a lot of juveniles do a lot of crimes, but it’s the first bank robbery I’ve seen (committed by) a juvenile,” the chief of the Mt. Vernon Police Department said. “When I arrived on the scene and they told me it was a 14-year-old male, I was shocked.”
The heist took place around 8:50 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28 at Simmons Bank on Mt. Vernon Boulevard, in Mt. Vernon, when a 14-year-old boy entered the bank, pointed what looked like a real gun at one of the tellers and demanded money, Hubert said. The bank teller complied and gave the boy money. However, the underage bandit didn’t attempt to escape with his ill-gotten gains.
“He said, ‘Call 911,’” Hubert said. “He told them his name and then went outside and waited for officers to arrive.”
The boy is now in the custody of juvenile authorities.
It appeared the boy had a different motive for holding up the bank other than getting his hands on some money, Hubert said.
“The money was returned,” he said. “He wasn’t necessarily (there) for money.”
Hubert praised the bank employees for the way they handled the situation.
“All the bank tellers did what they were supposed to do,” he said. “Nobody was hurt; everybody did a good job.”
Hubert also described the case as “cut and dried.”
“It was one of the easier bank robberies I’ve worked,” he said.
While the boy is underage and, to the best of Hubert’s knowledge, has never been in trouble with the law before, he could still possibly face some very serious charges.
“Potentially, he could be tried as an adult; he could be adjudicated as an adult, and then he could face federal prison time,” Hubert said. “I know that in the state of Missouri, at 13-years-old, for serious offenses, you can be tried as an adult.”
The weapon the boy used to hold up the bank was actually an Airsoft gun, a low powered toy gun used for Airsoft sports, but Hubert said it looked real. He also said no one should underestimate the fear the teller felt when it was pointed at her.
“I guarantee, to the teller it looked real to her,” he said.
In response to a media inquiry, Stacey Martin, marketing manager for Simmons Bank, said, “All customers and employees at the branch at the time of the incident are safe and we are working closely with local authorities.” Martin referred further questions to local law enforcement.