US Bank robber gets prison time

Justin Charles Solock was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for robbing the US Bank in Rockwood. His sentencing hearing was held at the federal courthouse in Knoxville last Thursday.
Solock, 25, was also ordered to pay $1,188.51 in restitution. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
The robbery occurred on April 25. Solock pleaded guilty to the crime in August.
According to court records, Solock entered the bank and handed the teller a note that read: “If you want to go home tonight keep both hands where I can see them. With one hand open the till and give me the money. Try anything and someones getting hurt.”
Solock snatched the money out of the teller’s hand and ran out of the bank.
Solock’s sentencing guideline range was 77-96 months. His attorney, Kimberly Ann Parton, asked the judge to impose the minimum sentence possible because of his age and prior military service.
Solock served in the United States Army and the National Guard from 2006-08.
“Mr. Solock has a number of prior convictions,” Parton wrote in a sentencing memorandum asking for leniency. “Many of these convictions have been a direct result of his poor decision-making while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”
Parton said Solock began abusing pain medications when he was 14. She also blamed Solock’s father for his lengthy rap sheet.  
“Mr. Solock’s father has a lengthy criminal history and involved his son in criminal conduct when he was a young child,” Parton wrote.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly A. Norris filed a response in opposition to Parton’s sentencing memorandum. Norris said no facts warranted leniency in the case and she painted Solock as a menace to society.
“On the note he passed to the teller, the defendant threatened the teller’s life and he aggressively grabbed money from the teller,” Norris wrote. “Second, when considering the defendant’s characteristics, the United States notes that this defendant has earned a criminal history category VI, which is significant. This defendant has been a danger to the community for most of his life.”
Norris also said the court shouldn’t feel sorry for Solock because of his father. 
“The defendant should take responsibility for his actions and cannot blame his decision to rob a bank on the facts that he lacked a father-figure in his life and that his father was a less-than-ideal role model,” Norris wrote.    

Photo courtesy of the Roane County Sheriff's Office

Justin Charles Solock