By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A 67-year-old Iowa man has pleaded guilty in federal court to
robbing a Princeton bank at gunpoint in May of last year.
Federal prosecutors report Phillip Michael Blink pleaded
guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of armed
bank robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of
violence.
Blink admitted he walked into First Interstate Bank in
Princeton the morning of May 19th, 2023 wearing a cowboy hat, a red
bandana over his face, gloves, and a trench coat, speaking to the teller in a
low voice, stating, “I’m sorry, but this is going to be a bad morning.”
Blink set a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun on the counter,
pointing it at the teller.
Blink took $4,115 and fled in a pickup, northbound on Highway
65. Later that day, a Knoxville, Iowa, police officer pulled Blink over and
arrested him. Blink confessed to robbing the bank. Officers found the handgun
and clothing used in the rubbering in the truck.
Blink faces the possibility of 25 years in federal prison. A
sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence
investigation by the United States Probation Office.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
