Rockville Man Pleads Guilty to Driving Getaway Vehicle in Damascus Bank Robbery

A Rockville man who drove the getaway vehicle in the robbery of an M&T Bank in Damascus last year pleaded guilty to bank robbery in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein announced in a news release.

The plea by Vaughan Barksdale, 47, follows guilty pleas in recent weeks by two co-defendants. Lamar Pannell, 38, and Arnell Johnson, 28, both of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty on June 27 and July 7, respectively, to bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to their plea agreements, on June 29, 2010, Pannell, carrying a silver Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver, and Johnson, carrying an M9 rifle, entered the M&T Bank on Main Street in Damascus. Pannell wore a tan or white baseball cap and sunglasses and Johnson wore a wig with shoulder-length braids, dark glasses and a floppy blue hat.

Pannell placed the revolver, still in his hand, on the counter inside the bank, pointing the barrel toward a bank teller, according to the court documents. Pannell and Johnson ordered tellers and customers to the back of the bank and demanded money.

They left the bank with $13,560 and got into a waiting vehicle driven by Barksdale, the documents said.

When a Prince George’s County Police officer stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation later in the day, Pannell and Johnson ran, the documents said. Barksdale was apprehended at the scene. Pannell was apprehended after a short pursuit. Johnson was apprehended several months later.

Inside the vehicle, police found the revolver and rifle used in the robbery, money taken from the bank and the disguises that Pannell and Johnson wore, the documents said.

Samples taken from the floppy blue hat and wig matched the DNA profile of Johnson, the documents said.

Each man faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for the bank robbery. Parnell and Johnson both also face a maximum sentence of life and a minimum of seven years in prison related to the gun charges, which would be served consecutive to any sentence imposed for the robbery charge.

Barksdale and Johnson both will be sentenced on Oct. 20 in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Pannell is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 7 in Greenbelt.