2021 Racine ATM robbery; Texas group sentenced, $136K stolen
Brandon Taylor; Mannie Willis; Bryanna Blades
RACINE, Wis. - All three people accused in a 2021 Racine ATM robbery of more than $136,000 have now been sentenced.
Prosecutors charged 24-year-old Brandon Taylor, 25-year-old Mannie Willis and 24-year-old Bryanna Blades – all of Houston – in the case.
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Case details
It happened at the Chase Bank on 21st Street on Aug. 4, 2021. According to a criminal complaint, officers spoke with a man who was servicing ATMs at the bank when the robbery took place.
Prosecutors said the worker noticed a man with a mask running toward him, followed by a second man. He feared for his safety and "backed away" from the ATM he was working on, and the two men took cash from the machine and fled. Multiple cameras in the area confirmed the worker's story.
Racine Police Department
Based on the video surveillance, investigators were able to identify a vehicle involved as one with a Texas license plate. The complaint said Chase Bank told investigators the robbers got away with more than $136,000.
Racine investigators reached out to jurisdictions throughout Wisconsin and Illinois in an effort to identify the suspects' vehicle. Later on the day of the robbery, Illinois State Patrol spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over – but the driver took off, sparking a high-speed pursuit. The chase ended when the "suspect vehicle left the roadway and drove into a cornfield."
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Prosecutors said two men ran from the crash scene and a woman who was in the car, since identified as Blades, remained at the scene. She identified the two men who ran from their social media – Taylor and Willis. Blades went on to say she and the two men were "driving north to commit the robberies."
Blades said they first robbed a restaurant employee who was making a deposit in Illinois, according to the complaint. They then went to Racine for the robbery at Chase Bank. On Blades' phone, police found "photos of black garbage bags full of money in the back seat of the car." Court filings said the photos were taken after the robbery, and text messages indicated "they needed help and had plenty of money."
After a large, multi-jurisdictional search, the complaint said Taylor and Willis were apprehended separately in cornfields.
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In court
Taylor pleaded guilty in 2022 to robbery, and a charge of robbery of a financial institution was dismissed. He was sentenced in 2023 to six years in prison and four years of extended supervision.
Willis pleaded no contest in July to robbery, and a charge of robbery of a financial institution was dismissed. He was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison – with transfer to a Texas facility permitted. He was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision.
Blades pleaded guilty on Oct. 25 to theft of movable property, and charges of robbery and robbery of a financial institution were dismissed. She was sentenced to 14 months in the Racine County Jail and granted credit for time served.