A Stigler man accused of bank robbery was indicted last week in U.S. District Court in Muskogee.

Larry Eugene Walden, 57, of Stigler is accused of robbing National Bank in Sallisaw on April 30, U.S. Attorney Sheldon J. Sperling said last week.

Sperling said, “The indictment alleges that on or about April 30 in Sallisaw the defendant, by force, violence and intimidation, did take from the person and presence of another, money belonging to and in the care, custody, control, management and possession of the National Bank of Sallisaw the deposits of which were then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.  The charges arose from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department, the Fort Smith Arkansas Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Sperling said that, if convicted, Walden faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Walden is also suspected of being involved in other bank robberies in Oklahoma and Arkansas. He was arrested June 15 in Dardanelle, Ark., and later arraigned on a robbery charge involving First National Bank in Fort Smith, Ark.

Sperling said a grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt.  A grand jury indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Edward Snow is handling the case.