A man responsible for a 2012 bank robbery in Roanoke Rapids and an attempted heist in Fremont  has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker.

Brian Lancaster, 47, of Pikeville, will also have to serve five years of supervised release once his sentence is served. Sentencing was today.

On September 16, Lancaster was charged in a three-count superseding criminal indictment.

On September 24 he pled guilty to two counts of armed bank robbery and to one count of attempted bank robbery.

According to the investigation, on October 12, 2012, Lancaster robbed the First Citizens Bank in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a BB gun. He took approximately $6,190 in currency.

On October 16, 2012, he approached the entrance to Heritage Bank in Fremont and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head.

A bank employee observed his suspicious behavior and activated the automatic door lock feature. He fled the scene.

On October 17, 2012, Lancaster entered the Southern Bank in Roanoke Rapids armed with a BB gun. He pointed the gun at two tellers and commanded them to fill his bag with money. The tellers complied and he fled with $7,862.98 currency.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified team effort against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities, the statement said.

Assistant United States Attorney, S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case.

Captain Andy Jackson of the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, which yielded its charges against Lancaster to federal authorities, said he was pleased with the outcome. “We are pleased any time we can have a positive verdict.