Ellicott City Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery:
Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

May 20, 2009

An Ellicott City man was sentenced to eight years in prison this morning for the December 16, 2008 robbery of a Wachovia Bank branch office located at the 9200 block of Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City. Robert Lee Cathcart, 39, of the 2500 block of McKenzie Rd. in Ellicott City, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery before being sentenced by Howard County Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. McCrone.

According to prosecutors and police charging documents, Cathcart approached a bank teller with his hand in his pocket, indicating that he had a gun—a point disputed by Cathcart’s defense attorney. The teller handed over $10,000 and Cathcart fled in a pickup truck that struck another vehicle in the parking lot. Based on descriptions of the bank robber and his getaway vehicle, police detectives identified Cathcart as a suspect and visited his home located less than four miles from the bank. A damaged pickup truck was observed, partially hidden, in the back yard.

After obtaining a search warrant police searched the premises and discovered clothing used in the bank robbery in one of the bedrooms plus a large sum of cash hidden in a backyard shed, next to the truck.

Howard County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael W.Davis told the court that the Wachovia bank robbery was Cathcart’s tenth criminal conviction. He also stressed Cathcart's very deliberate planning of the crime, including growing a beard to disguise his identity and conducting a “dry run" in preparation for the robbery. At the conclusion of the hearing Judge McCrone sentenced Cathcart to 15 years in prison, suspending all but eight years.