York bank robber sentenced to 9½ years in prison: How crime happened

PORTLAND, Maine — A Massachusetts man will be spending the next 9½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbing a bank in York.

Brandon Simmons, 35, was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Portland to 115 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $7,162 in restitution to the bank as part of a negotiated plea deal.

According to police, Simmons entered a Bangor Savings Bank in York on Nov. 1, 2021, telling a teller that he had a bomb and demanding money. Simmons then grabbed cash from the teller’s drawer, left the bank and fled in a white work van, according to police.

Simmons was quickly identified as a suspect through the combined efforts of the FBI, York Police Department and law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts. Simmons was also identified as the suspect in the October 30, 2021, robbery of a CVS Pharmacy in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Previous story: York bank robbery suspect arrested after 'violent' struggle with Massachusetts police

From Nov. 1-3, 2021, Simmons led police on a series of high-speed chases in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In his attempts to avoid apprehension, police said he assaulted an officer, attempted to carjack a civilian bystander, stole multiple vehicles and crashed his van into a truck driven by a bystander. Simmons was apprehended by Massachusetts State Police on Nov. 3, 2021, at a hotel in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Simmons pleaded guilty May 10 to the Massachusetts charges in connection with the robbery in Newburyport, as well as multiple charges related to his conduct while fleeing from police.

The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the York Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the police departments in Newburyport and Salisbury, Massachusetts.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York, ME robbery at Bangor Savings Bank nets 9½ years in prison