DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CONTACT: SUELLEN PIERCE
704.338.3120
FAX 704.227.0264
Swift and Cooperative Law Enforcement Effort Commended ASHEVILLE, NC - Within a couple of hours following a West Asheville-area, North Carolina bank robbery on Thursday afternoon, January 4, 2007, three individuals who fled the scene were in custody in Asheville. Arrested in connection with the Thursday robbery of the Bank of America Branch located at 1189 Smoky Park Highway in Candler, North Carolina on January 4, were Joshua Daniel Galvin, 24, Robert Franklin Owen, 30, and Melissa Jae Smith, 19, all of Candler, NC.
Today’s announcement is made by U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, Nathan T. Gray, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan, and Chief Bill Hogan of the Asheville Police Department.
According to an FBI affidavit (copy attached) filed January 5 in U.S. District Court in Asheville accompanying federal criminal complaints, the Bank of America Branch located at 1189 Smoky Park Highway in Candler, North Carolina was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday, January 4, 2007 at approximately 4:23 p.m. The resulting investigation by the FBI, the Asheville Police Department, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol identified Galvin, Owen, and Smith as suspects. The three were followed in their vehicle by witnesses to the crime following the robbery and were taken into custody shortly thereafter without incident.
Galvin, Owen, and Smith are all currently being held at the Buncombe County jail in federal custody. Each of the defendants made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis L. Howell in U.S. District Court in Asheville. Each defendant was ordered detained on the bank robbery charge contained in the complaints. Each defendant will be afforded a detention hearing on Monday, January 8, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. in Courtroom Number Two of the U.S. Courthouse, 100 Otis Street, Asheville, North Carolina. If convicted of bank robbery as charged in the complaints, each defendant faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence under the law, and the government has the burden of proving every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. U.S. Attorney Shappert commended the speed and efficiency of the coordinated state, local, and federal law enforcement response. “Surely this circumstance will send a heavy warning message to would-be bank robbers,” Shappert said. “This is a fantastic example of how the speed of information and a super coordinated law enforcement response can lead to the successful apprehension of suspects, “ said Nathan T. Gray, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. “I praise the law enforcement officers involved, particularly the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheville Police Department for demonstrating the strength and success of joint investigations.”