Decatur Men Receive Lengthy Sentences for Armed Bank Robberies

Three Decatur men have been sentenced for their role in a string of burglaries that took place in August and September 2012. The defendants, Torrey Marable, Rico Blackwell and Jason Blackwell, were each sentenced to federal prison terms of 27 years, 138 months and 84 months, respectively, in addition to thousands of dollars in restitution fines and many years of probation.

The robberies began August 9 and continued as the trio stole from banks in Atlanta, Dunwoody, and Marietta, Georgia.

They were captured on September 5 after police pulled over a vehicle driven by Jason Blackwell and found Marable, Rico Blackwell and co-defendant Deandre Markee King in the back seat, all of whom had semi-automatic weapons on hand. They also found surgical masks and gloves used to conceal their identities. Law enforcement officials were on the lookout for a man with dreadlocks (Marable) after the robbery of a PNC Bank in Austell, Georgia.

“These men terrorized bank employees when they entered the banks they robbed with guns drawn,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a news release. “Serious violent crimes should be met with serious prison sentences, such as those imposed in this case, to protect our communities.”

King, another Decatur resident, will receive a sentence on August 28.

This incident serves as a reminder that homes and commercial establishments are well-advised to have an alarm monitoring Atlanta service provided by an Atlanta alarm company installed on their property. Such a system can help signal first responders and law enforcement officials in the event of an armed break-in. For more information, contact American Alarm at (770) 645-0061.