Ted Hammersley

The Fort Dodge man arrested for robbing GreenState Credit Union in March could receive a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two charges, according to a written plea filed Monday.

Ted Hammersley, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery, a class C felony, and going armed with intent, a class D felony.

The first charge was amended from first-degree robbery, a class B felony. Two other initial charges — assault while participating in a felony, a class D felony; and carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor — have been dropped as part of the plea agreement.

In his plea, Hammersley admitted to carrying a knife from his home to the GreenState Credit Union, 1207 Central Ave., where he showed it to the teller and demanded an unspecified amount of money on the morning of March 13.

No employees were injured during the incident. The assault charge was due to the threat of physical injury, said Capt. Ryan Gruenberg, public information officer for the Fort Dodge Police Department.

“I agree and acknowledge that the bank teller was frightened and believed I was capable of inflicting serious injury or death,” he said in the court document.

Police apprehended Hammersley on foot outside the credit union, finding him thanks to a detailed description given by credit union employees.

The plea agreement jointly recommends a 15-year prison sentence — 10 years for second-degree robbery and five years for going armed with intent — and that Hammersley serves a five-year mandatory minimum prior to being eligible for parole or work release. Additionally, $1,750 in fines plus 15% criminal surcharges will be suspended.

Hammersley was determined to be unable to reasonably repay restitution, court documents show.

In 2003, a petition for juvenile delinquency charged him with third-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief. The case was adjudicated with the criminal mischief charge, dismissing the burglary charge with probation and restitution.

In January 2017, Hammersley was arrested for willful injury causing serious injury, a class D felony, after criminal complaints say he assaulted a man in a dispute about a wallet. The complaint said the victim suffered a subdermal hematoma, a type of traumatic brain injury, after being picked up, slammed to the ground, hit and kicked in the face, back and stomach.

Hammersley received a suspended five-year prison sentence for that conviction, successfully completing two years of probation.