David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced this (Thursday) morning that a rural Trenton man has been charged in federal court for the robbery of a Jamesport bank earlier this month.

Thirty-eight year old William Wade Hutchison of Trenton, was charged on Wednesday in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, with stealing $2,670 from Home Exchange Bank.

Hutchison, who was arrested at his residence yesterday, will have an initial court appearance today (Thursday).

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Hutchison was wearing a black motocross-style helmet with no visor, sunglasses, a full-length cloth trench coat and heavy gloves when he entered the bank at approximately 2 o'clock on Wednesday, August 8th.

Hutchison allegedly held an object in his hand that resembled a handgun along with a plastic sack. According to the affidavit, he told the teller, “I want your cash box, big bills first.” The teller placed money in the plastic bag, the affidavit says, and Hutchison left the bank.

A couple of days later, an employee at a Trenton store recognized the bank surveillance photos that were published in the local newspaper as one of the store’s customers. She told law enforcement officers that she had seen a customer wearing the same helmet and trench coat the day before the robbery.

A confidential informant notified an ATF task force officer, the affidavit says, and told him that Hutchison was the person who robbed the bank. The store employee was then shown six photographs from which she identified Hutchison as the customer. A bank employee, who thought she recognized Hutchison on the day of the robbery, also identified him from a photo spread.

Ketchmark cautions that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department, the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department, the NITRO Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.