Arkansas teen faces trial for bank robbery

Suspect found fit for trial, pleads innocent

Hunter Cody Chafin, 19, of Berryville
Hunter Cody Chafin, 19, of Berryville

FORT SMITH -- A man who federal officials say robbed a bank in Eureka Springs and made his escape in a taxi pleaded innocent to the charge Friday and faces trial in March.

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U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Ford arraigned Hunter Cody Chafin, 19, on the single bank robbery charge, setting a jury trial for March 6 in Fort Smith.

Chafin, of Berryville, is accused of robbing the First National Bank of Arkansas' Eureka Springs branch Oct. 14 and using the money to buy a motorcycle.

He told authorities after his arrest he needed some money to change his life, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.

Two weeks after Chafin's arrest, court-appointed defense attorney James Pierce petitioned for Chafin to undergo a mental evaluation, claiming there was reason to believe Chafin may suffer from a mental disease or defect that would render him unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist in his defense.

The results of that evaluation were filed under seal Monday, but Ford said during Friday's hearing that the report concluded Chafin was competent to proceed to trial.

Chafin -- tall and thin with short, light-brown hair and wearing a dingy orange jail uniform in court -- told Ford he was not under any medication or under a doctor's care and understood the charges against him and the possible penalties for a conviction.

Ford told Chafin that if convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined up to $250,000. Chafin has been held in U.S. Marshals Service custody since his arrest.

Court records say Chafin entered the bank Oct. 14 and asked a teller if his accounts were still open before walking outside. When a taxi arrived, he went back inside, handed a note to a teller that said "50s and 100s only! No trouble, I have a gun."

After a teller handed over $3,500, Chafin collected his note and left the bank, according to court records. He took the cab 40 miles to a Bentonville home where, after paying the $150 fare, he bought a motorcycle for $2,900 from a Bentonville police officer, using money from the robbery, court records state.

Almost immediately after the sale, the Bentonville police officer received a call that the taxi driver had just dropped off a bank robbery suspect at his address. Realizing he had just sold his motorcycle to the robber, he and another officer gave chase, caught up with Chafin motoring down the highway and arrested him.

State Desk on 01/14/2017

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