El Dorado, Arkansas – A southwest Arkansas man will spend more than nine years in federal prison after admitting that he robbed a Union County bank at gunpoint, threatened employees, and fled with thousands of dollars in cash before investigators quickly connected him to the crime.
Melvin Wiltshire, 58, of Mount Ida, was sentenced on June 29, 2026, to 114 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Judge Susan O. Hickey during a hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Wiltshire to repay the portion of the stolen money that was never recovered and prohibited him from returning to the Simmons Bank branch in Strong, Arkansas, where the robbery took place.
According to court records, the robbery happened during the afternoon of April 2, 2024.
Investigators said Wiltshire entered the Strong branch of Simmons Bank wearing a camouflage face mask and a gray hooded sweatshirt in an effort to hide his identity.
Once inside the bank, he pointed a black revolver at three employees and ordered them to place cash into a green-and-black backpack he had brought with him.
The employees complied, placing a total of $23,850 into the backpack. Most of the stolen money consisted of $50 and $100 bills.
Before leaving, Wiltshire instructed the employees to get down on the floor and remain there for two minutes. He then ran from the bank carrying the backpack filled with cash.
Investigators quickly tracked down suspect
Law enforcement officers from state and federal agencies immediately began investigating the robbery.
One of the first major breaks in the case came from a nearby home’s doorbell camera. The camera captured video showing a distinctive gray Ford pickup truck driving away from a wooded area behind the bank shortly after the robbery.
Later that same evening, a deputy with the Union County Sheriff’s Department spotted a gray Ford pickup in Strong that closely matched the vehicle shown in the surveillance footage.
When the truck entered a parking lot, the deputy approached and identified the driver as Wiltshire.
Authorities said the description provided by bank employees, together with the unique pickup truck and other evidence gathered during the investigation, gave investigators enough information to detain him. He was later arrested on suspicion of carrying out the armed robbery.
The investigation continued after the arrest.
Officers searched the wooded area behind the bank and discovered two abandoned bags.
One was the same green-and-black backpack used during the robbery. Inside, investigators found a camouflage face mask along with $21,250 in cash, most of it in $50 and $100 bills.
The second camouflage bag contained clothing matching the outfit worn by the robber, including the gray hooded sweatshirt seen during the crime.
Investigators also recovered a loaded black .38-caliber revolver from the bag. Authorities determined that Wiltshire had purchased the firearm in El Dorado in 2022.
The FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, later examined the evidence and found DNA linked to Wiltshire on the revolver, the camouflage mask, and several other items recovered from the abandoned bags.
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas returned a two-count indictment against Wiltshire on May 1, 2024.
He was charged with armed bank robbery and with using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.
More than a year later, on Aug. 7, 2025, Wiltshire appeared in federal court with his attorney and pleaded guilty to both charges.
At sentencing on June 29, 2026, Judge Hickey ordered the prison term, five years of supervised release, restitution to Simmons Bank for the portion of the stolen money that was not recovered, and directed Wiltshire to stay away from the Strong branch where the robbery occurred.
United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes announced the sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government.
The investigation was conducted by the Union County Sheriff’s Department, the El Dorado Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose combined investigative work helped identify the suspect, recover most of the stolen cash, and secure the evidence that ultimately led to Wiltshire’s guilty plea and federal prison sentence.
