Trial under way for ex-cop accused of robbing bank

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. — Testimony is under way in the southern Illinois trial of a former Carbondale police officer accused of robbing a bank in 2008.

A jury was seated Monday in Jackson County in the armed-robbery trial of 29-year-old former patrolman James Gaddis.

Authorities say Gaddis and a neighbor robbed First Southern Bank in Carbondale in October 2008, making off with nearly $23,000. Investigators say Gaddis made a fake 911 call before the holdup to divert police and used his police gun in the heist.

Gaddis was suspended from the police force after his arrest and was later fired.

He claims he was forced into robbing the bank by the neighbor after the alleged accomplice threatened the safety of his wife and child.

Gaddis has pleaded not guilty.