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A Bixby man pleads guilty to robbing two Oklahoma banks of nearly $320,000.

In a blind plea, Jerry Ray Brown, 44, admitted to two counts of bank robbery through the use of intimidation. Brown lived in Skiatook at the time of the robberies and later in Bixby while criminal proceedings were pending.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said:

“Jerry Brown robbed two banks, and while awaiting federal court proceedings for those crimes, he attempted to stage his own kidnapping to avoid prosecution. He ultimately fled to Kansas where he was apprehended for a second time. Thanks to a concerted law enforcement effort from Oklahoma to Kansas, Jerry Ray Brown has been brought to justice.”

Edward Gray, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Oklahoma City Division, said:

“The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate violent crimes such as the ones committed by Mr. Brown. Anyone who carries out such menacing behavior and inflicts such trauma on innocent citizens has no right to be in our communities.”

Brown admitted to robbing Oklahoma Capital Bank in Skiatook on March 12, 2020, and Exchange Bank in Sperry on May 7, 2020. In both robberies, Brown demanded bank employees take him to their vaults and open their ATMs.

Bank tellers and surveillance video at both locations described or showed the suspect as being around 6 feet tall and weighing between 200 and 250 pounds. The suspect wore a black mask, distinctive black and gray gloves with a yellow logo; carried a black backpack; and drove a silver SUV. One of the tellers at the Skiatook bank suggested the robber’s mannerisms and build reminded her of Jerry Brown, who banked there.

During the investigation, law enforcement was able to link Brown to the robberies and arrested him. He was charged in federal court on Oct. 27, 2020, and later released while awaiting further criminal proceedings in the case.

On Oct. 25, 2021, authorities initially received a report that Jerry Brown was potentially kidnapped from his residence in Bixby in the early morning hours. Later that morning, Nowata police officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle registered to Brown and alleged that Brown eluded officers and disappeared. Just after 8 am, Brown was arrested by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas for the alleged theft of gasoline, evading authorities, and other charges. Brown was later returned to federal custody.

Brown’s likely motive for the robberies was to alleviate the numerous professional and personal financial problems he had been experiencing.

The FBI, Skiatook Police Department, and Owasso Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. Roberts is prosecuting the cases.