At approximately 10:35 a.m., April 29, 2010, the First Community
National Bank of Cuba was robbed by a white male, who stated he was
armed.  Following the robbery, the suspect reportedly fled in a white,
Dodge Grand Caravan, bearing Missouri license plates.  The description
of the suspect and the vehicle used matched that of five previous bank
robberies that had occurred in the following Missouri communities:
Moberly, Sedalia, Rolla, Chillicothe, and El Dorado Springs.
Local, county, and state agencies within the surrounding area
immediately began an intensive search for the suspect following the
robbery.  At approximately 11:29 a.m., April 29, 2010, a Missouri State
Highway Patrol trooper spotted a minivan that matched the description
of the one used in the robbery, near the intersection of Missouri
Highway 8 and Missouri Highway 68 in Phelps County.  The trooper
stopped the vehicle on MO 8, just south of St. James.  Further
investigation revealed that inside the vehicle was a loaded handgun,
and money believed to have been stolen from the Cuba Bank.
Arrested for the bank robbery of First Community National Bank in
Cuba was John David Farnell, 58, of Fulton, Missouri.
The investigation of this bank robbery is being conducted by the
Missouri State Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cuba
Police Department, Rolla Police Department, and Crawford County
Sheriff’s Department.
The charges for which Farnell has been arrested are mere accusation
and are not evidence of guilt.  Evidence in support of the charges must
be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to
determine guilt or innocence.