Man Who Tried To Rob A Versailles Bank Sentenced In Federal Court

A Drexel man who fired at law enforcement officers while fleeing from a failed bank robbery in Versailles in 2017 has been sentenced in federal court.

United States Attorney Teresa A. Moore says in a statement that 30 year old Jacob Allen Monteer was sentenced to 19 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

Monteer was found guilty after a bench trial last March of one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms.

He attempted to rob US Bank in Versailles, and carried a gun reported stolen in a residential burglary the day before and, after realizing the teller’s money drawer contained no cash he fled the scene in a stolen vehicle.

Then during a high speed pursuit he fired four shots through the windshield of the pickup at the police chief of Stover who had set up a roadblock.

Monteer then lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed into a tree.

The U.S. Attorney credited the Morgan County Sheriff’s office and the Stover and Versailles Police for their service in apprehending and investigating the case.

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A Drexel, Mo., man who shot at law enforcement officers while fleeing from a failed bank robbery was sentenced in federal court today.

Jacob Allen Monteer, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 19 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

Monteer was found guilty following a bench trial on March 21, 2022, of one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms.

On Nov. 30, 2017, Monteer attempted to rob US Bank, 401 W. Newton in Versailles, Mo. Monteer, armed with a Springfield 9mm semi-automatic pistol that had been reported as stolen during a residential burglary the day before, walked into the bank with a bandana across his face and demanded money at gunpoint. Monteer, who was barefoot, jumped over the teller station and opened the teller drawer, but there was no money in the drawer. Monteer fled from the bank in a 2014 Dodge Ram that had been stolen from a worksite in Kansas a few days earlier.

As Monteer led law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit at speeds in excess of 100 miles-per-hour, he fired four shots through the windshield of the pickup at the police chief of Stover, Mo., who had set up a roadblock. Monteer then lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed into a tree. He attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by the sheriff of Morgan County. During their struggle, Monteer was able to fire a round from the sheriff’s AR-15 .223-caliber rifle before being subdued.

Officers searched his vehicle and found the loaded 9mm pistol as well as a Mossberg rifle that also had been reported as stolen, a loaded magazine for the rifle, and drug paraphernalia. Monteer later admitted to law enforcement officers that he was a drug addict and used methamphetamine on a daily basis.

This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Morgan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Stover, Mo., Police Department, and the Versailles, Mo., Police Department.