LIMA — It took a jury 31 minutes to convict a 69-year-old man Tuesday of robbing Planet Health in December.
A jury of seven women and five men found Arthur Banks guilty on robbery and three counts of kidnapping with repeat violent offender specifications in the Dec. 2 robbery of the store. Banks is scheduled to be sentenced June 1.
Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Ken Sturgill said during his closing argument to the jury the evidence was overwhelming against Banks. Sturgill showed the jury a surveillance video of Banks entering the store, including freezing the video when Banks entered without a mask, showing his face, before quickly putting it on.
He also pointed out each article of clothing Banks wore in the video, half of which he was wearing when police caught him less than an hour after the robbery. The rest of the clothing was found in his house, Sturgill said.
Sturgill explained how the robbery took place with Banks walking in and saying he had a gun.
“The defendant put his hand in his pocket and as Mr. [John] Krech told you the first words out of the defendant’s mouth was, ‘I have a gun. I want your money,’” Sturgill said.
At least two of the employees of the store remembered a scar on Banks’ neck, which he had.
One of the store employees ran after Banks and saw him get into a green Lexus with a bungee cord holding the trunk shut. The employee got a partial plate, which Lima police officials used to track down to Banks, who owned the only such car in the state. On top of that, Banks’ car was green with a bungee cord securing the trunk shut.
Krech told police he had around $815 missing from the drawer the robber took. Banks was found with $817 in his pocket.
Banks attorney, Zach Maisch, didn’t have much to work with but told the jury at no point did Banks ever confess despite more than two hours of interrogation by a skilled detective.
Sturgill said a criminal refusing to admit to a crime is not the standard to clear himself.
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