Cedar Rapids man pleads guilty to bank robbery in federal court

CEDAR RAPIDS - A 67-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to robbing Hills Bank and Trust on June 3.

Robert Michael Rutan, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date hasn't been set at this time.

Rutan robbed the downtown bank while on federal supervised release for a 1990 bank robbery. In the plea agreement, Rutan admitted he gave a note to a Hills Bank teller threatening violence if the teller did not give Rutan money. The teller gave Rutan $4,970 in cash and Rutan left the bank.

He was then arrested on June 20, in Overland, Mo. The state charge of bank robbery was dismissed in August by the Linn County Attorney's Office because he was indicted last month by a federal grand jury, which would subject him to harsher penalties if convicted.

Cedar Rapids police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified Rutan as the suspect, according to a police report. He was caught on surveillance cameras going into a skywalk in the Armstrong Centre after leaving with the money.

Court records show Rutan was convicted of another federal bank robbery charge in 1990 for the Hawkeye Federal Savings Bank in Ogden. Rutan was released from prison in May 2010.