Leslie Turk

Alleged Teche robber served 14 years

by Leslie Turk

The Advocate today reported that the 53-year-old Lafayette man arrested yesterday for allegedly robbing the dowtown Teche Federal Bank spend 14 years in prison for bank robbery.

The man had been free for about a year.

Edward Brian Atkins was arrested by Lafayette police on a charge of first-degree robbery after he allegedly entered the bank at around 9:15 a.m. and passed a note demanding money to a teller. The teller gave Atkins an undetermined amount of money.

This is the third time that Atkins has faced robbery charges, according to court records. Atkins pleaded guilty to simple robbery in 1990 and to three counts of first-degree robbery in 1993.

In 1993, a judge sentenced Atkins to 10 years on each count to be served consecutively without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

According to Pam Laborde, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections, Atkins was released from prison April 2007. While incarcerated, Atkins earned good time and about a year-and-a-half of credit for time served when he was sentenced.

Read The Advocate story here.