Verona man charged in 10 robberies; more charges may come
The Verona man who police say may be responsible for as many as a dozen robberies this summer in the Madison area was charged Thursday with 10 counts of robbery and one of strangulation for his attack on a victim, and the prosecutor said more charges may follow.
Much of the argument around the question of setting bail for Huk Banwell, 37, amounted to complaints the District Attorney's Office lacked enough staff to assure people like Banwell are brought to the court system in a timely manner for an initial appearance.
"There is no reason it takes 10 days to have charges filed," argued Assistant State Public Defender Cathryn Dorl. "Absolutely none." Dorl said the time Banwell languished in jail before being charged violated his constitutional rights and should lead to his release from custody on a signature bond.
Although Dane County Court Commissioner Todd Meurer said he agreed with Dorl, he also said "the District Attorney's Office is way understaffed," which leads to such delays, and he did not find that sufficient reason to allow Banwell out of jail.
Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said last week that his office has about 11 fewer assistants to handle prosecution than it should have, and the County Board has gone on record as asking Gov. James Doyle and the Legislature to approve those positions in the next state budget.
Banwell stood quietly by as all of that was being discussed in relation to his bail, and in the end Meurer cut Banwell's bail from the $100,000 set last Friday to $55,000 which will now be in effect as the case moves forward.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Verveer, in asking that bail be left at $100,000, said Banwell engaged in "a major crime spree over several days spanning several jurisdictions," when he allegedly held up motels, a gas station, individuals and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association offices. "Some of these are extremely aggravated," said Verveer.
The complaint filed today accuses Banwell of 11 different crimes, and the aggregate total number of years he could spend behind bars and on extended supervision if convicted of all of them is 322 years.
He is accused of having committed a host of robberies between Aug. 9, when the Holiday Inn Express at 722 John Nolen Drive was robbed, until Aug. 18, when he was arrested after allegedly pulling off four heists that day before being caught in the Moorland Road area by a combined force of four police departments.
Today's complaint charges Banwell with:
The Aug. 9 holdup at 3 a.m. of the Holiday Inn Express and pulling the tie of a clerk so tight it cut off his breathing. Banwell got $88 for his efforts.
The Aug. 14 holdup at 7 p.m. of the Days Inn at 4402 E. Broadway where, as he often did, Banwell leaped over the counter to demand the cash drawer and threatened the clerk. He got $400 in that robbery.
The Aug. 15 holdup at 2:22 p.m. of the Americinn Hotel at 516 Grand Canyon Drive where he got about $250.
The Aug. 15 holdup at 8:46 p.m. of the Extended Stay Inn at 55 Junction Rd. where he got about $91.
The Aug. 16 holdup at 1:21 a.m. at the Baymont Inn at 8102 Excelsior Drive, where he allegedly said "give me the cash or I'm going to kill you," and got about $225.
The Aug. 17 holdup at 11:51 p.m. at the Mobile Gas Station at 4601 Verona Road, where he threatened the clerk with "I'll cut your throat if you don't open the register," and got away with $150.
The Aug. 18 holdup at the 4:19 a.m. at the Super 8 Motel at 1602 W. Beltline, where he again vaulted the counter and took about $200, and set the stage for the later morning.
The Aug. 18 holdup at 10:32 a.m. of a person in an apartment complex at 405 Moorland Road where he got $153.
The Aug. 18 holdup at 10:34 a.m. at the Brighton Square Apartments office where he took $18 from a wallet.
The Aug. 18 holdup at about 11 a.m. of a worker at the WPPA office at 340 Coyier Lane where he made off with $327.
The victims identified Banwell as the holdup man either after viewing pictures of him or picking him out of a police lineup, the complaint says.
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