Fairfield Robbers Get Long Senteces

Two bank robbers whose getaway was foiled by mud and snow in February were handed federal prison sentences Thursday, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Spokane.

Timothy Binford, 33, of St. Louis, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Shea to nearly 16 years behind bars for his part in the Bank of Fairfield holdup. Binford has previous robbery and assault convictions in Washington state and British Columbia, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Spokane resident David Pegram, 20, was sentenced to a seven-year federal prison term. Both had pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery on June 30 in U.S. District Court in Spokane.

Jonathon M. Passmore, 23, of Spokane, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this month for helping plot the robbery and driving a getaway car.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Pegram, Binford and Passmore made off with $7,837 from the Bank of Fairfield on Feb. 25, using a pellet gun in the heist.

After switching vehicles, the trio stayed on back roads, where they became stuck in snow and mud.

They walked to the town of Fairfield and called a taxi, which took them to Spokane. In a cafe, the robbers left a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, which provided investigators with fingerprint samples.

Fingerprints were also found in the stuck getaway car, which was owned by Binford.