WOODLAND — A Suisun City man who robbed a Bank of America branch in downtown Davis earlier this year was sentenced Thursday to probation and jail time.
Eugene Leonard LeMasters, 57, was convicted in June of robbery and evading police in connection with the Feb. 21 robbery at the E Street bank, during which he simulated a weapon and demanded cash, then led officers on a high-speed pursuit through the downtown area before surrendering.
LeMasters had been suffering from substance-abuse issues and had lost his paycheck at an Oroville casino just before the robbery, attorneys said. He took $1,200 during the heist, but it was recovered upon his arrest.
A Yolo County jury acquitted LeMasters of an attempted robbery count, which defense attorney Dan Hutchinson said stemmed from the defendant, before the Bank of America robbery, entering the Wells Fargo branch on F Street and inquiring about his prior accounts there. The jury also voted 9-3 in favor of acquitting him of a burglary charge in connection with that incident.
Despite the Yolo County Probation Department’s recommendation of probation in the case, Deputy District Attorney Kyle Hasapes argued for a suspended state prison sentence or two additional years of probation, citing the egregiousness of the crime.
“He placed the lives of hundreds of people in danger that day,” he said, referring to the 4.4-mile police chase on busy roadways that reached speeds over 100 mph at times.
“This is a serious crime. No one disputes that,” replied Hutchinson, who contended LeMasters’ lack of prior criminal history and psychological issues at the time of the robbery made probation a more suitable punishment.
Judge David Reed agreed, imposing three years of probation, but also added a one-year county jail term — which LeMasters has nearly fully served in actual time and with good-conduct credits — and ordered the defendant to undergo substance abuse treatment.
Reed also ordered LeMasters to abstain from drugs, alcohol and gambling while on probation.
Hutchinson noted that LeMasters faces a possible 5-year, 8-month prison term should he violate his probation terms.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene