Fishing Hat Bandit' sentenced to 15 years in prison

Burnsville resident John Douglas Whitrock pleaded guilty in May to 21 counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted credit union robbery.

Whitrock is believed to have been responsible for twice robbing the US Federal Credit Union in Northfield, once in October and again in December of 2004, though he did not confess to either robbery.

The 15-year sentence is much greater than usual, a decision made by U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle based on the number of robberies and the "danger and trauma" the robberies caused for the innocent people involved, according to a District Attorney's Office release.

The case was solved as a result of an investigation by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies including the Edina Police Department.