5 INDICTED FOR UNITED BANK ROBBERY WOODBURY

D’Asis Sheffield, 20, of Greenville, Ga., the final defendant of a five-member armed robbery conspiracy, was arraigned yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III following Sheffield’s arrest on federal charges of armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Sheffield and his four co-defendants, Antavious Bray, 29, of Greenville, Ga., Derrick Scott, 26, of Manchester, Ga., Dontavius Prather, 22, of Greenville, Ga., and Shaneka Copeland, 35, of Manchester, Ga., were indicted by a federal grand jury on August 15, 2018.

“Sheffield attempted to evade capture after terrorizing innocent victims and endangering their lives during this armed robbery,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Fortunately, thanks to the assistance of the public and the hard work of law enforcement, Sheffield and his co-defendants will now have to answer for their crimes. This case demonstrates that all citizens play an important role in keeping our communities safe.”

According to United States Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Three of the defendants, Sheffield, Bray, and Scott, allegedly entered United Bank in Woodbury, Georgia, shortly after noon on June 28, 2018. The robbers had covered their faces to disguise their identities, and they were armed with two handguns and a semi-automatic rifle.

After entering the bank, the men ordered two bank employees to lie face down on the floor. Bray allegedly stood over them with the semi-automatic rifle, while Scott and Sheffield pointed handguns at a teller and demanded that she fill a backpack with money. The men then exited the bank through a back door, but thanks to the quick response of the City of Woodbury Police Department, their getaway driver, Prather, fled before he could pick up Sheffield, Bray, and Scott. At that point, the three robbers ran into the nearby woods on foot.

After hiding in a nearby house for several hours, Bray and Scott were captured by the FBI. Sheffield, the third robber, remained unidentified and at large until local news stations played a clip of him in the backyard of a residence without his face concealed by a mask. Several tipsters then identified Sheffield, who the FBI arrested shortly thereafter.

D’Asis Sheffield, Antavious Bray, Derrick Scott, and Dontavius Prather, were charged with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Bray and Scott were additionally charged with possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. Shaneka Copeland was charged with being an accessory after the robbery.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation