Meadowview, Va., bank robber pleads guilty

UPDATE

ABINGDON, Va. – The second defendant in a Washington County, Va., bank robbery case pleaded guilty to robbery Friday in Washington County Circuit Court.

William Lee Anderson II, 48, faces a minimum of five years and up to life in prison for the July 11, 2008, robbery of the BB&T branch in Meadowview.
He also faces up to 10 years for later intimidating a witness in the case, to which he also pleaded guilty Friday. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 18.
He made no statement in the courtroom Friday, and his attorney left with him as he was led out of the courtroom.

“I’m a little surprised, but of course we’re pleased,” said Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Marianne Woolf, who was preparing for jury a trial scheduled Monday and Tuesday. “We’re always pleased when it’s resolved in this manner without having to inconvenience a large number of witnesses.”

Anderson’s son and co-defendant, William Lee Anderson III, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in the crime, agreeing to serve two years and two months behind bars; the rest of his 25-year sentence was suspended.

In his plea agreement, the younger Anderson pleaded guilty to robbery as a principal in the second degree, meaning he admitted to playing a role in the crime. The commonwealth decided not to pursue a conspiracy charge against either of the men.

During Friday’s hearing, Woolf revealed previously unreleased details of the 2008 robbery.

“All the victims were found crying and huddled together just after the bank was robbed,” said Woolf, who said the younger Anderson, at his father’s direction, waited in a car parked by a church uphill from the bank.

The elder Anderson then entered the bank yelling, wearing heavy clothing and with pantyhose over his head; he jumped the counter, took $1,575 and escaped to the waiting vehicle, Woolf said.

Detectives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office found a key piece of evidence shortly after the robbery, when they discovered in a nearby field a chewed piece of candy that contained a sample of the elder Anderson’s DNA.

Woolf said the second charge against the elder Anderson stemmed from his intimidation of a fellow inmate at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail after “jailhouse talk” aided detectives in their investigation.

Anderson’s conviction Friday marks the resolution of the third bank robbery case in Washington County this decade. In all three cases, the defendants have been caught and ultimately sent to prison.

Detective Jamie Blevins, who worked on the case, said criminal investigations are much slower and tougher than they appear on television – but persistence and cooperation among various agencies helped to bring these robbers to justice.

“We will pursue any bank robberies or any other criminal charges with every effort that is available to us for the purpose of resolving it and bringing the individual to justice,” sheriff’s office Capt. Jack Davidson said.
Woolf’s advice to would-be bank-robbers, after Anderson was led away Friday: “Don’t do it in Washington County.”

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ABINGDON, Va. – William Lee Anderson II pleaded guilty to bank robbery Friday in Washington County Circuit Court.

His son and co-defendant, William Lee Anderson III, pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in the crime, agreeing to serve more than two years behind bars.

The elder Anderson is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 18 and faces up to life in prison for robbing the Meadowview BB&T in 2008.

For more details on this week’s pleas and newly released details of the robbery, read tomorrow’s Bristol Herald Courier.