A serial bank robber who described himself as a "nice person" before apologizing to bank tellers for robbing them was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for escape.
A judge recommended that Anthony Ray Artrip, who was once a member of the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted, spend his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, a high security facility known as "Supermax."
Artrip was sentenced Friday for escaping from the Grant County Jail in Williamstown in June, setting off a cross-country manhunt. Artrip also faces sentencing for a bank heist in Ohio and federal charges in Orlando, Florida He is charged or suspected of seven bank heists in five states - West Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Indiana and Georgia.
Artrip escaped from the jail awaiting a federal trial in Cincinnati on a bank robbery charge related to a holdup in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Artrip apologized to the bank tellers, said he enjoyed having the U.S. Marshals chase him and was honored to be profiled on "America's Most Wanted."
"I try to be a nice person - even though I'm a bank robber," Anthony Ray Artrip told U.S. District Judge David Bunning. "I'm not a violent person."
Artrip said he robbed banks for the "Adrenalin rush."
U.S. District Judge David Bunning wasn't amused at Artrip's courtroom bravado.
"It's not funny," Bunning said at one point during the proceedings.
Bunning said it required "quite a bit of criminal aptitude" to climb a basketball goal in a recreation yard covered by a chain link fence, sit in a handmade sling attached to a beam and kick a fence until there was a hole large enough to slip though.
The Grant County Jail break wasn't Artrip's first. He escaped from the Boyd County jail 11 years ago and attempted to escape from a federal hospital in North Carolina two years ago.
"He has truly devoted his adult life to committing serious felony offenses," Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Bracke said.
Bunning expressed concern that Artrip might escape again if he is transported across the country to stand trial for the heists he is suspected of committing during the four months he ran from marshals.
Artrip kept an upbeat demeanor as Bunning rejected arguments from his attorney, Fred Peters.
Artrip leaned over to his lawyer and said: "At least we tried."
Peters said his client "had an amazingly positive outlook" for someone facing the likelihood of decades in federal prison.
If you have any information on crimes in North Carolina, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
ALL COUNTIES: Shortly after events unfolded, U.S. Marshals and the FBI quickly informed NC WANTED that Target 20 Fugitive Anthony Ray Artrip was caught. It happened Monday, October 8th at a Knight's Inn just outside Pittsburg at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Artrip is a suspect in multiple bank robberies in NC, including the Wachovia in the Five Points area of Raleigh.
Law enforcement officials considered Artrip a "Houdini" of sorts in the legend of Wild West fugitives. Artrip had managed to escape several prisons and elude multiple near-captures while on the run.
Artrip also vowed not to be taken alive.
Sources with the FBI and U.S. Marshals tell NC WANTED a SWAT team surrounded Artrip's lodging location.
Authorities say Artrip tried to pull another one of his escape acts by climbing into the attic of the hotel. SWAT officers at first tried to talk him down. When Artrip didn't respond, they fired a 'flash-bang' cartridge into the ceiling area. Artrip didn't respond to that either. Eventually, they resorted to shooting tear gas canisters into the attic to smoke him out.
They succeeded.
Despite repeating his vow not to be taken alive, Artrip was soon captured without further incident and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. The tear gas ordeal reduced Artrip's ability to talk.
U.S. Marshals, the FBI and the law enforcement community celebrated this man's capture with a heightened sense of satisfaction. He was considered "exceptionally dangerous" by the U.S. Marshals and was defiant to the end.
For more on Artrip's alleged criminal activities in NC, read the articles below and click the links in the gray sidebard next to this article.
This is the sixth captured fugitive on NC WANTED's Target 20 list.
From the official U.S. Marshals Press Release:
U.S. MARSHALS END BANK ROBBING SPREE OF “MOST WANTED”FUGITIVE
Tony Artrip Now in Custody Following Prison Escape, Brazen String of Robberies
COVINGTON, KY – Less than three weeks after being named to the U.S. Marshals “15 Most Wanted Fugitives” list here, serial bank robber and prison escapee Anthony “Tony” Ray Artrip is now in custody after U.S. Marshals Deputies, joined by state and local authorities, arrested him in a hotel in South Fayette Township, Pa., at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Artrip, 35, of Ashland, Ky., was arrested following a standoff at the hotel outside of Pittsburgh.
Tips led Marshals Deputies to the Knights Inn in South Fayette, where they attempted an arrest at a room rented by Artrip at approximately 9:30 this morning. When authorities entered the room, Artrip was gone and had apparently escaped by climbing through the ceiling tiles and was in the hotel attic – prompting authorities to evacuate the motel, secure the area and establish a perimeter. He had remained in the hotel during the standoff.
Artrip was wanted by U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Kentucky since his June escape from the Grant County, Kentucky Detention Center.
Following his escape, Artrip is a suspect in at least five bank robberies in West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan and Georgia.
During the commission of these robberies, Artrip allegedly drew a handgun on several tellers. Artrip was nearly apprehended in Asheville, N.C., on Sept. 11, 2007, but escaped after a vehicle pursuit.
“It is great news that we have finally managed to bring Tony Artrip in. This was likely one of the most brazen and elusive criminals we have ever pursued and all of us are relived that his crime spree has come to an end without further violence or injury, “said John Schickel, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
“I would like to thank all of the dedicated law enforcement professionals who helped in the apprehension of this dangerous fugitive.
My thanks to Marshal Tom Fitzgerald and the authorities in western Pennsylvania who brought Artrip in – assuring he had no place to hide as he tried to pull off one more vanishing act.”
Recently, Artrip was profiled on FOX-TV’s America’s Most Wanted. It is believed that tips into this program aided the Marshals efforts to apprehend Artrip.
Prior to his escape, Artrip was awaiting sentencing in federal court for three counts of bank robbery, following a conviction in Ohio.
From Previous NC WANTED Staff Reports
Artrip was recently spotted by an alert police officer in Asheville.
U.S. Marshals say it happened Sept. 11, 2007. Artrip was in a car with a woman. When he realized he had been spotted, he fled the car and escaped into the woods on foot. The officer lost track of him.
Then, just three days later on September 14, Artrip allegedly was spotted on surveillance video robbing yet another bank in NC. This time in Mt. Airy.
Now, the U.S. Marshal Service has put Artrip on its list of Top 15 Most Wanted Fugitives. They made the announcement Sept. 18.
Authorities tell NC WANTED that Artrip fits the profile of a fugitive on a thrill ride who is willing to die to avoid being captured. They expect a violent, perhaps deadly showdown with Artrip.
Just recently, Artrip was added to the FBI's Most Wanted list. NC WANTED profiled Artrip three weeks ago on the TV show. America's Most Wanted is tracking him, too.
Since his escape from a Kentucky prison, authorities believe Artrip has committed at least five bank robberies in West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan. During the commission of these robberies, Artrip allegedly pulled a handgun on several tellers.
On July 2, 2007, Artrip is suspected of robbing the Wachovia Bank in the Five Points area of Raleigh. Also, authorities believe Artrip may have been involved in another recent bank robbery in Mt. Airy.
Artrip, 35, of Ashland, KY, is wanted by U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Kentucky after escaping from the Grant County, Kentucky Detention Center, on June 24, 2007. On that evening, Artrip escaped through the roof of the prison facility and fled though a wooded area on foot. He was in jail awaiting sentencing in federal court for three counts of bank robbery, following a conviction in Ohio.
The Marshals Service is now employing its comprehensive nationwide network of regional and district fugitive task forces, as well as its Technical Operations Group, to find Artrip.
“Anthony Ray Artrip is exceptionally dangerous. He is a federal fugitive who is not laying low, but continuing to commit violent crimes while on the run,” said United States Marshals Service Director John Clark. “By placing him on our 15 Most Wanted list, I have directed our investigators to use all resources to find and apprehend this dangerous criminal. From what we’ve seen since his escape, there is no indication that Artrip’s criminal activities are going to end. We need to put a stop to his crime spree.”
Artrip is a white male, approximately six-feet-tall and weighting 180 lbs. He has brown hair and blue eyes. Artrip has a scar on his forehead and a scar on his nose. He also has tattoos on his back, chest, right hand, and both arms.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Artrip, please contact the nearest U.S. Marshals Service office or call the U.S. Marshals at 1-800-336-0102, or call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your information will be kept confidential.
There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information directly leading to the arrest of Artrip.
From Previous Reports By NC WANTED and WRAL
WAKE COUNTY: Anthony "Tony" Ray Artrip has made the FBI's Most wanted list.
He escaped from a Kentucky Prison in June, 2007.
FBI Agents say since then, Artrip has robbed several banks, including a Wachovia in Raleigh's Five Points July 2, 2007.
If you have information on Anthony Artrip or the robbery at Wachovia, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your information will be kept confidential.
WRAL.COM Story After the July 2, 2007 Robbery
Raleigh police appealed to the public for help in identifying a man wanted in an armed holdup at a bank branch Monday morning.
The man produced a handgun and robbed several tellers at the Wachovia bank at 2016 Fairview Road, police said. No one was hurt.
Police described the suspect as a white man between 5-foot-9 and 6 feet and weighing about 160 pounds. He had brown hair, a mustache and some beard growth. he was wearing a light-brown T-shirt, knee-length blue denim shorts, black sneakers and a baseball cap.
Anthony R. Artrip of Ashland, KY
Wanted for
Escape 2nd Degree (since 06/25/2007 in Grant County)
SEX: Male
RACE: White
AGE NOW: 35
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Blue
Tattoos: Multiple tattoos and scars
U.S. Marshals consider Artrip armed and exceptionally dangerous.
