Husband, Wife Charged with Armed Robbery

Robert O’Dell Neihart, 42, and his wife Denise Myrick, 42, both residents of Ignacio, Colorado, have been charged with armed bank robbery in an indictment that was filed on October 23, 2012. The indictment also charges Neihart with using a firearm during a crime of violence.
The indictment alleges that Neihart and Myrick used a dangerous weapon to rob the Wells Fargo Bank located at 4601 Main Street in Farmington, New Mexico, on September 21, 2012. It further alleges that Neihart used a firearm in connection with a crime of violence by brandishing the firearm at a bank customer and discharging the firearm following the armed bank robbery.
Neihart and Myrick were arrested in Ignacio, Colorado, on September 21, 2012. On October 12, 2012, Myrick was transported from Colorado to New Mexico and made her initial appearance on a criminal complaint in federal court in Albuquerque. On October 15, 2012, Myrick was released to a halfway house under pretrial supervision pending trial. This morning, Myrick was arraigned on the indictment before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and entered a not guilty plea.
Neihart remains in federal custody in Colorado pending transfer to New Mexico to face the charges in the indictment. His arraignment has yet to be scheduled.
According to a criminal complaint filed on October 1, 2012, at approximately 4:00 p.m. on September 21, 2012, Neihart allegedly entered the bank and handed the bank teller a note demanding cash. After obtaining cash from the bank teller, Neihart allegedly placed the cash inside of a bag and left the bank with it. The complaint alleges that a bank customer, who followed Neihart into the parking lot, reported that Neihart brandished a firearm and pointed it at him. Thereafter, Neihart allegedly got into the passenger side of a black pick-up truck driven by Myrick. After driving a short distance, Neihart got into the driver’s seat and drove off with Myrick in the passenger seat. According to the complaint, a high-speed pursuit ensued near Aztec, New Mexico, and continued into Colorado. During the pursuit, Neihart allegedly fired shots at a vehicle driven by San Juan County Sheriff’s deputies. No one was injured as a result of the shooting. Neihart and Myrick were arrested when they arrived at their residence in Ignacio and were taken into custody by the La Plata County Sheriff’s Department.
A conviction on the armed bank robbery charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years of imprisonment. A conviction on the firearms charge carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence, to be served consecutive to the prison sentence imposed on the bank robbery charge.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque and Farmington Resident Agencies of the FBI, the Farmington Police Department, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, and the La Plata County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Pflugrath.
Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are only accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.