Federal court hearing stops, is reset after accused bank robber has medical emergency
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A federal court hearing was halted on Thursday, July 25, after the accused had a medical emergency while entering a guilty plea.
Jonathan Lanaute is accused of a May 3 bank robbery, followed by a chase in a stolen vehicle. He announced a plan to plead guilty in a July 15 notice to the court.
U.S. Chief Judge Shelly Dick in the Middle District of Louisiana paused the hearing on Thursday after Lanaute had a medical issue.
EMS reported that they responded to and cleared a person at the court without needing to transport them.
Dick has reset the hearing for Thursday, Aug. 1.
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What is he accused of?
According to court documents, a man reportedly robbed United Community Bank. A teller said he passed a note that read “Give me all the money in the cash register before everybody die in here.” They said the robber fidgeted with his hands in his pockets, and the teller never saw a gun. He took about $20,000.
The robber got away from the bank in a vehicle reported stolen in an armed robbery the night before.
An attempted traffic stop led to a pursuit. The federal complaint reads, “The driver refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. During the pursuit, the driver drove the vehicle into oncoming traffic, ran another motorist off the road, and drove in the wrong direction on the interstate. The pursuit of the vehicle ended when the driver crashed head-on into an innocent motorist on the interstate.”
Lanaute was caught and arrested after a short foot chase. He was wearing the same sweatshirt as the robber on the bank’s security footage, according to court documents showing both photos.
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