FORT WALTON BEACH — A man was sentenced to 25 years in the Department of Corrections after pleading no contest to armed robbery with a firearm, obtaining a driver’s license by fraud, and making a false affidavit to obtain a driver’s license.
Terrence James Hardy will serve a minimum of 10 years in the Department of Corrections for the May 2010 robbery of Beach Community Bank, according to a State Attorney’s Office press release.
Hardy went into the bank, placed a bag on the counter and said, “I’m making a withdrawal” as he drew his gun, the release said. He left the bank with approximately $1,325 and went on to rob two more banks in Hattiesburg, Miss., and Jackson, Tenn.
Hardy is currently serving a 121-month sentence in federal prison for the other robberies.
Bill Bishop, the chief assistant state attorney for Okaloosa County, said the additional prison time is justified in Hardy's case.
"We've to got to make sure these kinds of individuals remain incarcerated for as long as possible," Bishop said.
The Beach Community Bank robbery investigation was conducted by the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. Hardy was sentenced by Circuit Judge John T. Brown. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney David Stevens.