4 years for Lake in the Hills bank robberies
A former Lake in the Hills woman was sentenced to 53 months in federal prison today for a pair of armed bank robberies in 2007.
Lyndsey R. Tucker, 27, admitted over the summer she stole more than $9,300 during holdups, separated by three days in February 2007, at the LaSalle Bank and Bank of America branches in Lake in the Hills.
The sentence handed down today by U.S. District Court Judge Frederick J. Kapala closes the door on one criminal matter against Tucker, but opens the door to another. Tucker now will return to McHenry County to face allegations she secretly gave birth to a son in her boyfriend's Hebron-area apartment in July 2007 and then did not act to keep him alive.
A grand jury indicted Tucker earlier this year for involuntary manslaughter and concealment of a homicide in the boy's death. The case has been postponed while the federal bank robbery case was pending.
The allegations surrounding the newborn's death were not addressed in court today, but Tucker tearfully apologized for the bank holdups.
"I know I put so many people in harm's way and I hurt a lot of people," she said. "I am seeking everything I can to rectify what I've done."
The first bank robbery occurred Feb. 7, 2007, when, police said, Tucker walked into the LaSalle Bank, 240 N. Randall Road, demanded money while brandishing a large kitchen knife to a bank teller and escaped with $7,637.
Three days later, authorities said, Tucker walked into the Bank of America, 2540 Algonquin Road, showed a realistic looking plastic gun and received $1,679. When police captured her driving away from the bank just minutes later, officers discovered a 4-year-old child she was caring for in her car.
Tucker's defense asked Kapala to issue a sentence below the 51-month minimum required by federal guidelines, arguing that she has a long history of mental illness that includes bi-polar disorder, anti-social personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Miss Tucker was certainly suffering from severe mental health conditions at the time these offenses were committed," defense lawyer Michelle M. Ferrigan said. "She currently is showing her willingness and desire to continue treatment."
Assistant U. S. Attorney Joe Pedersen objected, saying that there is no evidence Tucker's mental illness caused her to rob the banks.
Kapala agreed, but despite the prison sentence he told Tucker she should have hope for her future.
"There's a lot of promise for you, a lot of reason to be optimistic," he said. "I hope you continue to deal with these demons that have plagued your life."
First, though, Tucker will go back to McHenry County and face charges that could earn her another 14 years in prison.
Authorities say Tucker gave birth to a live boy, named posthumously William Troia after his father, then wrapped him in plastic and placed him a cabinet under a bathroom sink. The boy's father discovered later discovered him dead after Tucker was rushed to a hospital for severe bleeding.
The boy's cause of death was asphyxia due to obstruction of the mouth and nose by a placenta membrane, the McHenry County Coroner's office said. About one in 1,000 babies are born with a similar obstruction, but the membrane can be removed easily to clear the newborn's breathing passage, according to testimony from a coroner's inquest in November. Had the membrane been removed, authorities said, the boy would have survived.
Tucker had repeatedly denied being pregnant to friends and family in the months leading up to the birth, blaming her weight gain on prescription medication.