Florence County man indicted on federal armed robbery charge tied to $2,200 bank heist
LAKE CITY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florence County man is facing federal charges of armed bank robbery and use of a firearm after prosecutors said he held up a Lake City bank in December.
Wayne Mervin Powell, 64, of Coward, will be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court’s Florence facility.
Powell allegedly walked into a TD Bank branch on Dec. 11, handed a bag to a teller and demanded that she fill it with money, according to court documents. He allegedly threatened to kill everyone if law enforcement was called and told the teller he only had weeks to live.
Powell reportedly made off with $2,247 in cash, some of which was “bait money” that included a GPS tracker.
A short time later, FBI agents, Florence County sheriff’s deputies and Lake City police arrived to the bank, interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage to identify Powell.
Powell, court documents state, fled to a Lake City address where he tried to buy $20 in crack and an AR-15 rifle.
The GPS tracker led authorities to the property, and bank officials activated an alarm within the device that was “emanating” from Powell’s clothing, according to court documents.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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