Mack pleads guilty to May 2 bank robbery

A Cedar Rapids man accused of robbing a bank here earlier this year entered a guilty plea Friday morning.

Jacob A. Mack, 24, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty during a hearing in front of federal chief magistrate judge Jon Scoles. Mack was charged with one count of bank robbery. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the offense.

Cedar Rapids police responded to the downtown branch of Hills Bank around 11 a.m. on May 2. Citizens gave officers a description of the suspect and they were quickly able to take Mack into custody in the parking lot behind Halls Bicycle Company.

During Friday's hearing, Mack admitted to taking more than $6,000 from the bank through force, violence or intimidation.

'Did you, in fact, take money from the bank on May 2?' Scoles asked Mack.

'I did,' Mack admitted.

Mack will be sentenced at a later date, which has not yet been scheduled.

Mack was previously convicted in Linn County District Court for second-degree theft in 2010 and then convicted in federal court for being a felon and illegal drug user in possession of a firearm, according to court documents.

Mack served more than one year on the firearm charge, according to court documents. Then, his supervised released was revoked for violations and he was sentenced to another 11 months in prison. He was released March 22, until being charged in the bank robbery.

There have been eight bank robberies in Cedar Rapids so far this year. Five of those robberies have resulted in arrests.