Man charged in bank robbery expected to plead guilty
HARTFORD — A Florida man charged with making off with $1,500 during a bank robbery in Connecticut is expected to change his plea to guilty.
Robert Abel, of St. Augustine, Florida, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Hartford on Monday for a change of plea hearing. Details of the expected plea bargain have not been released.
Abel pleaded not guilty to one count of bank robbery in May. Similar charges remain pending in state Superior Court.
Federal prosecutors say Abel used force, violence and intimidation when he robbed a Webster Bank branch in Stratford on Feb. 17.
Stratford police allege that Abel robbed the bank minutes after trying to rob a pharmacy.
Abel also pleaded not guilty to the state charges involving the bank and pharmacy incidents.
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