Grand Forks man sentenced to 26 years on bank robbery, other charges

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Nov. 29, William Randall Collins of Grand Forks, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Erickson on charges of bank robbery, use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Collins, 47, pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, 2010, to robbing the Bremer Bank in

Gilby, North Dakota, at gunpoint using a Mossberg, Model 88, 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. On May 26, 2009, Collins, along with another, entered the bank brandishing weapons. The bank teller was ordered to get on the floor and was handcuffed. More than $50,000 was taken from the bank. After a four-month man-hunt, Collins was arrested on Sept. 1, 2009, near Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Co-defendant Clifford Patterson is scheduled for trial on March 1, 2011.

Collins has a lengthy criminal history and was sentenced as an armed career

criminal. Erickson sentenced Collins to 26 years and five months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Collins was ordered to pay restitution of $89,755.32, and to pay a $300 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Reisenauer prosecuted the case.

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