Man pleads guilty in bank robbery
Jun. 29—ASHLAND — A serial bank robber has been convicted once again, this time in connection with the January 2020 heist at the Ashland PNC.
Willis Cochran, 60, of Ironton, entered a guilty plea Monday in U.S. District Court to one count of bank robbery.
Cochran — who was convicted in the 1990s and the 2000s for a string of bank robberies across southern Ohio — was accused of participating in the robbery with John C. Knotts, who would later face serious charges after shooting it out with Ohio State Highway Patrol near Portsmouth.
For a seasoned bank robber, court records show the caper was a catastrophe.
According to the plea agreement, Knotts pulled up to the bank in an old work van, entered the building and handed a teller with a note that read "roggery."
After Knotts implied that he was armed, the teller gave him bait money, court records show.
However, Knotts wasn't able to pick up all the cash due to the bulky gloves and only made off with a little more than $1,065, the agreement stated. Knotts got back into the van and fled, records show.
Knotts then drove the van — believed to be stolen in Ohio — to an apartment complex where Cochran was waiting in another vehicle, records show.
He then hopped into the getaway car and they drove up to another bank, where Knotts used the money to make a payment on a loan, according to the agreement.
Knotts then kicked over some cash to Cochran for the trouble, records show.
After Knotts was arrested alongside Cochran's daughter, Amanda, following a Jan. 2020 rolling shootout that ended in South Shore, records show an employee at the bank recognized Knotts from a news article and reported it to police.
Cochran was later apprehended in April 2020 and would admit to law enforcement his part of the robbery, records show.
Cochran is set for sentencing on Oct. 17, where he faces up to 20 years in prison.
(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com
