11-04-2025
Iowa man who pleaded guilty to Delmar bank robbery sentenced to prison
A 38-year-old Knoxville, Iowa, man has been sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing a bank in Delmar, Iowa, according to Clinton County Court documents.
On April 3, Jeffrey Bettis appeared in Clinton County Court. Bettis pleaded guilty to two charges of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each charge. He will receive credit for time spent in Clinton County Jail in connection with the case, according to court records.
'The Court makes no recommendation as to when the defendant shall be released from incarceration, leaving it to the Department of Corrections to determine based upon their progress at the institution,' Clinton County Court documents say.
A 2024 bank robbery
Shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, 2024, Bettis entered the Clinton National Bank (CNB) at 301 Western Ave., Delmar Iowa. He was wearing a mask and pointed a handgun at two bank employees. according to Clinton County arrest affidavits.
Bettis demanded money from the tellers, which they turned over to him. He then instructed the tellers to give him their car keys, which they did.,affidavits show.
Bettis left the bank, took one of the teller's cars, and drove south from the bank, affidavits say. Deputies learned from video surveillance footage in the area that Bettis left the area in a white Ford Escape with Iowa plates.
Shortly before 1:15 p.m., the Iowa State Patrol stopped a white Ford Escape near Eldridge. Bettis was the only occupant of the vehicle. After he was read his Miranda Rights, he admitted to robbing CNB in Delmar for money and brandishing a gun during the robbery to scare the tellers, arrest affidavits show.
'Both the CNB tellers were interviewed by law enforcement,' according to affidavits, which say 'Both reported being in fear during the robbery and one teller reported she believed she might be murdered during the incident.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
