Anderson man charged with robbing Great Southern Bank on Range Line

 An Anderson man has been charged with bank robbery after calling the Joplin Police Department and saying he did not rob the bank.

Vincent Gepson, 63, called the police after someone posted the department's photo of the suspect in the Monday morning robbery of Great Southern Bank, 1232 South Range Line, on his Facebook page.

Gepson (shown with his dog, who is not a suspect) told JPD Sgt. Luke Stahl that the robber looked like him but that he had not robbed the bank and was in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, at the time of the robbery.

It did not take long for JPD to check its own collection of Gepson booking photos, and match Gepson's tattoos to the robber's.

The Anderson Police Department discovered Gepson had borrowed a surgical mask similar to the one worn by the robber during a visit to the Economic Security Agency in Anderson that morning.

Gepson is awaiting trial on a felony possession of a controlled substance charge in Newton County and a felony passing a bad check charge in McDonald County.

The bank robbery allegations against Gepson were detailed in the probable cause affidavit:

On May 9, 2022, at approximately 10:00 a.m., the Great Southern Bank located at 1232 South Range Line Road, Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri, within the Western District of Missouri, was robbed by a then unknown subject ("UNSUB"). 

The UNSUB entered the bank and proceeded directly to the teller counter and demanded money. The UNSUB informed the victim teller that he had a gun and for the teller to give him $1OO's, $50's and $20's. 

The victim teller complied with the UNSUB's demand and handed over currency in control of the bank to the UNSUB. The UNSUB placed the money in a white plastic bag that the UNSUB produced from his back pocket. 

After obtaining the currency, the UNSUB departed the bank through the front door. Witnesses believed that the UNSUB departed in a dark colored sport utility vehicle. 

Surveillance photographs obtained from Great Southern Bank security personnel showed the UNSUB to be a white male, wearing blue jeans and a long sleeved light blue t-shirt. The UNSUB was wearing a blue surgical mask and had sunglasses pushed up on his forehead. The UNSUB had a medical bandage on the left side of his neck. The UNSUB was heavily tattooed on his hands. 

After receiving the surveillance photographs from Great Southern Bank, the Joplin Police Department placed photographs of the UNSUB on their Facebook page and requested assistance from the public in identifying the UNSUB. 

Later in the morning of May 9, 2022, Joplin, Missouri, Police Department (JPD) Sergeant Luke Stahl received a telephone call from an individual who identified himself as Vincent Gepson. Gepson informed Sergeant Stahl that a bank robbery suspect's photograph had been placed on JPD's Facebook page. 

Gepson informed Sergeant Stahl that although the photograph looked like him, he had not robbed the bank. Gepson informed Sergeant Stahl that he had been in Pea Ridge, Arkansas at the time of the robbery. 

Gepson refused to meet with Sergeant Stahl to discuss the robbery and informed Sergeant Stahl that he would only speak with Anderson, Missouri, Police Department Detective Aaron Lemon. After speaking with Gepson, Sergeant Stahl reviewed booking photographs of Gepson from previous arrests made by the JPD. 

The photographs reviewed by Sergeant Stahl were similar to the UNSUB depicted in the robbery surveillance photographs. Gepson's booking photographs clearly showed that Gepson is heavily tattooed on his hands and arms. Gepson also has a tattoo on the left side of his neck. Your affiant believes that UNSUB who robbed the Great Southern Bank was wearing the medical bandage on the left side of his neck to cover a distinctive tattoo. 

Your Affiant compared the booking photographs with the robbery surveillance photographs specifically focusing on the tattoos located on Gepson's hands. Your Affiant believes that the tattoos on the UNSUB who robbed the Great Southern Bank match the tattoos observed on Gepson's booking photographs.

On May 9, 2022, your Affiant spoke with Anderson Police Department Detective Lemon. Detective Lemon informed your Affiant that he had spoken with a female employee of the Economic Security Agency in Anderson, Missouri. 

This female employee informed Detective Lemon that earlier in the morning of May 9, 2022, Gepson came into her office and asked for a facial mask. Gepson informed the female that he had a medical appointment and needed a mask to visit the medical office. 

The female employee stated that the mask she provided Gepson was similar to the mask worn by the UNSUB who robbed the Great Southern bank at approximately 10:00 a.m. Your Affiant knows that Gepson wears a goatee and believes that Gepson requested a facial mask in order to hide this distinctive facial feature. 

Detective Lemon informed your Affiant that he was aware that Gepson has had several surgeries on his legs and that Gepson walked with a distinct limp. Based on this information, your Affiant obtained and reviewed surveillance video from the Great Southern Bank robbery on May 9, 2022. Your Affiant was able to see that the UNSUB who robbed the bank walked with a distinctive limp as he entered the bank. 

Later in the afternoon on May 9, 2022, the JPD received a call from R&R Tire Express in Webb City, Missouri. The calling employee stated that they believed that the individual who robbed the Great Southern bank earlier that day had been at their business and made a payment in cash. 

Based on this information, your Affiant met with R&R Tire Express employees and learned that at approximately 10:30 a.m., Gepson had visited the store and made a $212.05 cash payment on his account. R&R Tire Express is located approximately 2.3 miles from the Great Southern Bank.