Bank Robbery Suspects Waive Preliminary Hearings

A pair of Utah residents accused of a bank robbery in Casper waived their preliminary hearings in federal court today. James Thain, 38, and Mindy Lawrence, 34, both appeared before U.S. Magistrate Kelly Rankin in separate hearings.

Rankin ordered Thain held without bond, noting, among other things, that Thain had a previous conviction for bank robbery in Utah in 2003. Thain also has not been employed since September 2013, and has no established residence or known family ties. Lawrence received a continuance on her detention hearing because her attorney, Gay Woodhouse of Cheyenne, hadn't been able to meet with her yet.

The pair are accused of robbing a Bank of the West branch in Casper on January 29, 2014. A witness allegedly followed the pair after the robbery and alerted police as to their locations.

They was arrested after crashing a rental car in an alley near the intersection of 12th and McKinley Streets. The pair have been tentatively connected to robberies in Rock Springs and Laramie, but have not been charged for those crimes.