Douglas Scott Wolhuis, Bank Robbery, Michigan 2015

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

Douglas Scott Wolhuis, a 51-year-old Lawton resident, has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for two bank robberies in Michigan.

According to the FBI, Wolhuis robbed a Fifth Third Bank branch in Kalamazoo on April 9, 2015, and a Chase Bank branch in Battle Creek on June 11, 2015.

During the first robbery, Wolhuis claimed to have a bomb in his demand note, while during the second robbery, he claimed to have anthrax. A responding officer found a container of white powder in Wolhuis’s vehicle after the second robbery, but it was later determined to be non-toxic.

Wolhuis was arrested and charged with two counts of bank robbery. He pleaded guilty to one count in December and was sentenced to 54 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell.

Wolhuis will be supervised for two years after his release and ordered to pay restitution and a fine.

“Armed bank robberies are extremely dangerous, even when robbers use hoax weapons, because of the law enforcement response that is necessarily provoked,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr.

The FBI, Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department, and Battle Creek Police Department investigated the robberies, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Presant prosecuting the case.

The case highlights the risks posed by bank robbers who use hoax weapons, which can lead to a significant law enforcement response and disrupt the community.

The FBI praised the quick response of the Battle Creek Police Department officer who helped apprehend Wolhuis after the second robbery.

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