WHEELING - The man who confessed to robbing a Wheeling Island bank in 2009 will spend more than 12 years in prison for the crime.
Patrick Zachary Zetka, 30, of Brownsville, Pa., in June pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in the Aug. 11, 2009 robbery of the WesBanco bank branch at 141 Zane St., Wheeling. He faced a potential sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
On Monday, Zetka was sentenced in federal court to 151 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also must pay $6,190.36 in restitution.
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Police search Wheeling Island for a suspect
following the Aug. 11, 2009, robbery of a WesBanco branch.
Information provided by U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II states Zetka lunged up onto the counter and took cash from the teller's drawer before running from the bank. A sweat shirt and hat found on the bank of the Ohio River nearby were positively identified by witnesses, and the sweat shirt had ink marks on the sleeve where a teller had jabbed the robber with an ink pen while he was reaching into the money drawer.
A total of $4,250 was stolen from the bank during the robbery.
Police initially arrested another man, Rickey L. Henry Jr., and charged him with bank robbery. However, the charges against Henry were dismissed when Zetka was captured in March after DNA evidence collected from the sweat shirt and hat led investigators to him.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard and investigated by the FBI and Wheeling Police Department.
The robbery was one of six that have occurred at the Wheeling Island branch of WesBanco in the past 13 years. The most recent robbery there took place Jan. 19. Bank officials and community members have since met to discuss ways to improve security at the site.
Staff Writer J.W. Johnson Jr. contributed to this report.