Harrisonburg man who blundered his way into being caught sentenced in bank robbery

A Harrisonburg man who used a BB gun to rob First Citizen Bank in Harrisonburg was sentenced Tuesday to 105 months in federal prison.

One of the keys to his apprehension in the aftermath of the Jan. 4 robbery: a gray glove.

Charles Joseph Hood, 63, pleaded guilty in August to one count of armed bank robbery.

According to court documents, Hood walked into the bank wearing a dark mask, sunglasses, hat, wig and brown work boots and initially inquired about opening an account with the manager of the bank.

Once inside the manager’s office, Hood brandished what appeared to be a firearm, but was later found to be a Daisy Powerline 426 .177 caliber BB gun, and instructed the manager to walk over to the tellers’ station. Hood then demanded that the manager put on a gray glove and retrieve large bills only, no dye packs, and not to trigger the bank’s alarm system.

The manager and two tellers separately collected $15,908 in cash and placed it in a makeshift bag provided by Hood while one of the tellers pressed the bank’s silent alarm system alerting law enforcement.

Hood exited the bank, got onto a bicycle, and fled the scene. Approximately a half-mile away, Hood discarded the bike, wig and his outer jacket, and walked into a restaurant where he entered the bathroom and lifted an oil painting off the wall.

After placing the BB gun behind the painting where it was out of view and undetectable, Hood walked to the nearby Walmart Supercenter and bought a pair of shoes. He then discarded his work boots and attempted to call a taxi.

The Harrisonburg Police Department had responded to the silent alarm and were in the area searching for individuals who matched Hood’s description. An officer, seeing Hood outside the Walmart, approached him, but Hood began to walk away from the officer, telling him that his wife was in labor before eventually running away from the officer.

When officers caught up to him, they found the makeshift bag stuffed into Hood’s pants that contained $15,606 in cash and a gray glove that matched the one left with the bank manager.