Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than 9 Years in Federal Prison

EL DORADO - A southwest Arkansas man was sentenced on June 29, 2026, to 114 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbing a Union County, Arkansas, bank at gunpoint. The Honorable Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court at El Dorado.

According to court records, on the afternoon of April 2, 2024, Melvin Wiltshire, age 58, of Mount Ida, entered the Strong, Arkansas Simmons Bank, wearing a camouflage face mask and a hooded gray sweatshirt. Wiltshire pointed a black revolver at three bank employees and instructed them to put cash into a green and black backpack he was carrying. After the employees had placed $23,850 into the backpack, mostly in $50 and $100 bills, Wiltshire ordered them to get down on the floor and stay there for two minutes. He then fled the bank on foot, with the backpack.

State and federal investigators who came to the scene soon learned that a nearby doorbell camera had captured video of possible suspect vehicle. The video showed a distinctive gray Ford pickup driving away from a wooded area behind Simmons Bank after the robbery. Later that evening, a Union County Deputy Sheriff saw a gray Ford pickup in Strong that appeared identical to the one seen in the doorbell camera video. When the pickup pulled into a parking lot, the deputy approached and identified its driver as Wiltshire. Based on descriptors provided by the victims, the distinctive pickup he was driving, and other factors, Wiltshire was detained, and ultimately arrested, on suspicion of having committed the April 2 robbery.

Shortly following Wiltshire's arrest, federal and state investigators found two bags abandoned in the wooded area behind Simmons Bank. One of the bags, a green and black backpack, contained a camouflage mask and $21,250 in cash, in $50 and $100 denominations. The second, camouflage bag held clothing matching what the suspect had worn during the robbery, including a hooded gray sweatshirt. The second bag also held a loaded, black .38 caliber revolver that Wiltshire had purchased in El Dorado, in 2022. The FBI Laboratory, in Quantico, Virginia, also found that DNA attributable to Wiltshire was present on the revolver, the camouflage mask, and other items from the two abandoned bags.

On May 1, 2024, United States Grand Jury sitting in the Western District of Arkansas returned a two-count Indictment against Wiltshire, charging him with Armed Bank Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2113(a) and 2113(d), and also with using, carrying and possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). Wiltshire appeared with his attorney on August 7, 2025, and entered guilty pleas on both counts.

During his June 29, 2026, sentencing hearing, the Court also ordered Wiltshire to pay restitution to Simmons Bank, for the unrecovered robbery proceeds, and to remain away from its Strong, Arkansas, branch.

United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States. The Union County Sheriff's Department, El Dorado Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at https://www.pacer.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..