EVERETT — A Texan was tight-lipped Monday despite a Snohomish County judge’s attempts to get him to explain why he decided to become an outlaw.
Ben McClean told Superior Court Judge Joseph Wilson that he’s not much of a talker.
Wilson calmly grilled McClean, trying to get at why the young man turned to robbery.
“What compels a 22-year-old man with no criminal history to do something like this?” Wilson asked.
McClean shrugged and didn’t offer an explanation. Wilson sentenced him to nearly nine years in prison for the armed heist at a Marysville bank in March. McClean also is wanted in Texas after allegedly confessing to holding up two banks there before he traveled to Washington.
Court records say McClean brought two guns with him from Houston because he figured there was a good chance he would lose his life savings gambling and would need to rob a bank. He followed through with the plan in Marysville after losing $8,000 in casinos.
The day before the hold-up McClean scouted out the bank and asked about opening an account. The next day he walked in, racked the slide on his handgun as if chambering a round and pointed the weapon at a teller.
He demanded cash and told her she had 20 seconds or the people in the bank were all going to die. Another bank employee called 911. McClean noticed the woman on the phone and pointed the gun at her, ordering her to hang up. He ran out of the bank with $7,000.
Police swarmed the bank, including an officer with a dog. The dog picked up a scent and rushed to some bushes 200 feet away. Police found discarded clothing and began yelling orders for the man to surrender. The police dog lunged into the bushes and came out with McClean, who had a wad of cash and a handgun in his waistband. Bank employees identified him as the robber.
He pleaded guilty last month to first-degree robbery with a firearm and second-degree assault.
“I don’t get it and I see you don’t want to talk about it,” Wilson said. “This isn’t the end. It isn’t hopeless.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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