Norwalk bank robber gets 29-year federal prison term

NORWALK — A Toledo man who was charged with robbing a Norwalk bank in August 2022 was sentenced to nearly three decades in federal prison. Scott K. Hansen, 63, was sentenced to 29 years by Judge Jack Zouhary in U.S. District Court in Toledo, according to a news release from the Department of Justice dated Friday. In addition to the Norwalk robbery, Hansen's sentence also results from two other robberies. He was ordered to pay more than $44,000 in restitution and will be subject to five years of post-release control after release from prison. On Aug. 25, 2022, Hansen entered the Civista Bank in the 200 block of Milan Ave. (U.S. 250). While brandishing a pistol, he ordered everyone in the building to the ground before going behind the counter and demanding cash from the drawers and dispensing machines, the release states. "Hansen said he was just there for the money and didn't want anyone to get hurt," according to the release. He reportedly became frustrated with how slowly the teller was retrieving cash from a dispensing machine, so he grabbed two plastic money containers from the machine and fled the bank with approximately $82,000, the release states. Norwalk officers spotted Hansen fleeing in a gray Hyundai Sonata and gave chase. The pursuit reached speeds of 90 mph. Hansen was eventually apprehended in Monroeville by Norwalk officers, detectives and a Huron County deputy. The cash and a loaded 9 mm pistol were seized from Hansen's car. The Norwalk robbery capped a three-robbery summer for Hansen. He also robbed two Ann Arbor, Michigan banks. On July 16, 2022 he reportedly made off with approximately $20,000 from a Chase Bank. Then, three days later, the robbery of a Fifth Third Bank netted him approximately $15,000, according to the release. He reportedly implied he had a weapon by patting his shirt at the waist during the first robbery. He pointed a gun at tellers during the second robbery. Hansen returned to the same Fifth Third branch a few days later but fled when a teller recognized him, the release states. Christina Watkins, 50, of Elyria robbed the Norwalk Civista less than a month after Hansen did. Her case was prosecuted through the Huron County Common Pleas Court. She pleaded guilty in January to one count of robbery, one count of felony theft and one count of failure to comply with the signal or order of a police officer. Watkins received a 9- to 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence.