An Elma man convicted of shooting a customer during a bank robbery in Spokane in April of 2016, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Don Charles Owens, 35, was sentenced last week in the Eastern District of Washington federal court for armed bank robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime. Owens pleaded guilty to the charges last August.

According to court records, Owens robbed a Wells Fargo Bank in Spokane then shot a customer twice who attempted to stop him while fleeing the bank. Numerous law enforcement officers could not find Owens upon arrival at the bank, but did pick up a black ski mask he was wearing which was then sent in for investigation to match DNA on the ski mask with that of Owens.

Joseph H. Harrington, attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, commended District Judge Thomas O. Rice for the decision.

“The sentence that Chief Judge Rice handed down today sends a strong message that egregious conduct, like that exhibited by Owens, will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Washington and will result in a lengthy sentence intended to punish the offender and protect the community.”