A Little Hocking man accused of using two fake pipe bombs to distract law enforcement while he robbed a Coolville bank four years ago has pleaded guilty to a multi-count indictment.
Patrick Slider, 48, changed his plea in Athens County Common Pleas Court Tuesday to that of guilty. He pleaded guilty to all 10 felony counts of aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and two counts each of kidnapping, inducing panic and unlawful use of a hoax weapon of mass destruction related to the pipe bomb and bank robbery incident. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and burglary in relation to theft of firearms from a Coolville residence.
Slider was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
On July 29, 2008, law enforcement and emergency service personnel responded to post offices in Stewart and Guysville when pipe bombs were discovered by employees. Shortly thereafter, a report was received that the Hocking Valley Bank in Coolville was robbed.
Authorities spent the day working at the post office sites until it was deemed that the pipe bombs were fake and the scenes were cleared.
Police began a nationwide search for Slider as it was learned that he fled across the country. Slider eventually made his way back to Michigan where he was apprehended by local police.
In an unrelated case, Slider was found guilty of drug charges in Washington County and sentenced to nine years in prison. He has been serving that sentence during the process of the Athens County charges.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said Tuesday that Slider may be up for parole from his Washington County sentence in two years. His new prison sentence runs concurrent to that prison sentence. Slider would now not be eligible for judicial release until 2020. Blackburn said the prosecution will not oppose judicial release pending a favorable warden's report.
Slider stole $25,047 from the bank. Authorities recovered $3,057. He is ordered to pay restitution on the balance.
When the charges were filed under then-Prosecutor C. David Warren, Warren had said the charges could amount to 59 years in prison for Slider. However, Blackburn said Tuesday that recent legislative changes mandated certain charges run concurrent, thus a lower sentence. He said negotiations have been ongoing since Slider's arrest four years ago.
