St. Louis Man Sentenced for Altamont Bank Robbery

A St. Louis man has been sentenced for the armed robbery of an Altamont bank early in 2013.

39-year-old Altonio Graves was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison on two counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, two counts of bank robbery, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stem from the robbery of People's Bank and Trust in Altamont on February 26, 2013. The holdup came two weeks after the armed robbery of Laclede Community Credit Union in Alton.

In both instances, Graves entered the facilities wearing a long black woman's wig. In the Altamont incident, Graves was also wearing a dark trench coat and a black hat with earflaps to disguise his appearance. He handed the teller a plastic grocery bag and a note that stated "This is a robbery, I have a gun and I will use it." The teller placed $7,390 in the bag and Graves left the bank with the money. Graves fled in a white car driven by the same co-defendant as in the Alton holdup.

State Police troopers located the suspect vehicle on the interstate and attempted a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop and fled from the officer at speeds in excess of 120MPH until she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch.

During a search of Graves and the vehicle, officers located the cash stolen from the Altamont bank. They also found a loaded .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol behind the glove box.

The driver, 28-year-old Annalise McGee of St. Louis, has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting her sentencing.