Bank robbery suspect case now in federal court

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities say a suspect in a Missouri bank robbery has confessed to two other bank robberies in the state and a fourth in Florida.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 33-year-old Roger Ballinger, of Springfield, was arrested Monday in Columbia. A complaint filed in federal court says he fled on foot after robbing a Commerce Bank branch with an air-soft pistol.

The complaint says he confessed to a March bank robbery in St. Petersburg, Florida, and two other Columbia bank robberies. They happened in June and September.

No court date has been set for Ballinger, who is jailed in Boone County.

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