Man Gets 70-Year Sentence for Robbing Indiana CU

MARION, Ind.–A Superior Court judge has sentenced an Indianapolis man to 70 years in prison for robbing FORUM CU in Lawrence, Ind. William A. Beeler, 45, was convicted late last month on charges of armed robbery and five counts of criminal confinement. He maintains his innocence, but a jury found him guilty of stealing more than $210,000 from the credit union a little over a year ago. During the robbery, Beeler forced the CU manager to duct-tape the hands and mouths of a member and a teller. In handing down the sentence, Judge Sheila A. Carlisle cited the fact Beeler previously was convicted of armed robbery in 1985 in Illinois, which allowed the judge to tack 20 years on to the sentence due to his “habitual offender” status. Without a prior conviction, Beeler’s sentence would have been limited to 30 years total, instead of 20 years maximum for each count. Beeler has a second case pending in which he faces similar charges in a heist at a motel that occurred less than a week prior to the robbery at FORUM.