Walter Cody Tribble Gets 12 Months for Escape After Bank Heists

Walter Cody Tribble, 43, of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, is back behind bars after a failed escape from federal custody landed him an additional 12 months and one day in prison. The convicted armed bank robber walked out of the Renewal Center in Pittsburgh on December 3, 2016, during a sanctioned work release — and simply never returned.

U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady confirmed the sentencing, which was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti. Tribble, already serving time for three armed bank robbery convictions, now faces another year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release once he’s freed.

In 2010, Tribble was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison after terrorizing banks across Pennsylvania with armed heists. By late 2016, he was nearing the end of his sentence and placed in the Renewal Center’s pre-release program, designed to ease inmates back into society. On December 3, he was authorized to leave the facility for work at a local business — on the condition he return by a set time. He vanished.

For nearly seven weeks, Tribble remained at large, evading federal authorities until January 18, 2017, when the U.S. Marshals Service tracked him down at a residence in Guys Mills, Crawford County. His capture ended a short-lived freedom built on deception and defiance of the justice system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller, who emphasized that fleeing federal custody is not a minor offense — it’s a felony that carries serious consequences. Tribble’s decision to bolt only deepened his criminal record and extended his time in confinement.

The investigation was a joint effort between the United States Marshals Service and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, whose persistent tracking led to Tribble’s arrest and eventual conviction. He’ll now serve his new sentence consecutively, a reminder that in the federal system, running comes at a steep price.