GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man who robbed three banks, including one in Ohio so he could fix his getaway car, has been sentenced to 19½ years in prison.
Jermaine Deshawn Clark robbed three banks in the summer of 2019 – two in Michigan and one in Mason, Ohio.
But it’s the Ohio bank robbery that got the most attention. It led to a crash in Kentucky that put a nurse in the hospital with 10 broken bones.
Clark, 30, who listed a Grand Rapids address at the time of his arrest, was returned to western Michigan to face federal charges for heists in Lansing and Kalamazoo.
A federal judge this week sentenced Clark to 235 months in prison and ordered him to pay $7,458 in restitution.
In a sentencing memorandum, Clark’s attorney says his client is remorseful for his actions.
"In this instance, Mr. Clark’s attempt to flee from the police resulted in severe injuries to an innocent bystander,’’ defense attorney Michael R. Bartish wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “The fact that someone was hurt as a result of his actions weighs very heavily on Mr. Clark.’’
On the day of the July 24, 2019 crash, Clark stopped in Mason, Ohio to get the tires checked on his getaway car, which he rented in Michigan. Police say he robbed a bank there after learning his Hellcat Dodge Charger would need $300 worth of work on the tires.
Hours later, police in Florence, Kentucky spotted the Dodge Charger on I-75. A chase ensued, with Clark’s vehicle reaching speeds of 140 mph.
“Predictably, Clark eventually lost control of the car,’’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. Verhey wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
He crashed into a vehicle driven by a nurse heading home from work. She spent two weeks in the hospital for treatment of head injuries, 10 broken bones and a collapsed lung.
“Clark was unscathed and fled on foot,’’ Verhey wrote. “When police arrested him, he still had the backpack he carried in the Kalamazoo robbery in the stolen getaway vehicle he used to commit the Michigan robberies.’’
The first robbery on June 29, 2019 netted about $2,900 from a Chase Bank branch in Lansing. Two weeks later, Clark got $2,040 at PNC Bank on West Main Street in Kalamazoo. The hold-up in Ohio netted Clark about $2,500.
News reports about the Michigan robberies generated tips that were helpful to police. One Silent Observer tipster said Clark had come from Arizona to live in Grand Rapids. Investigators made contact with Clark’s girlfriend in Grand Rapids, who identified him in bank surveillance photos.
At the time of his arrest, police in Ohio said Clark was linked to six bank robberies in several states, including Michigan and Ohio. He was also wanted for failing to return the Dodge Charger he crashed.
The Dodge Charger was a rental. The owner reported it stolen when Clark did not return it on time.
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