Chesapeake sergeant gets 20 years for robberies

CHESAPEAKE

John Michael Keane II was a lik able, dependable Sheriff's Office employee who rose to sergeant, played guitar in his father's church and didn't like disappointing people.

That last characteristic, his father guessed, was how Keane wound up in Circuit Court on Monday, being sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges related to three robberies of the same bank.

Marital and money woes led to unhappiness that he tried to assuage by buying things, which deepened his debt and unhappiness, Commonwealth's Attorney Nancy Parr told the court. At least some of that spending was on pornography, phone sex and visits to strip clubs, she said.

But rather than seek help from family or friends, he turned to crime.

Judge John Morrison Jr. said he had never seen such violent offenses committed by someone with no prior criminal record.

His sentence was on the low end of state guidelines for such cases, with 13 of the years mandated for gun violations. Morrison suspended another 73 years of the sentence.

Keane, 33, faced up to 10 life terms. He pleaded guilty in May to robbing a BB&T bank branch three times on Volvo Parkway from July 2009 to February, making off with a total of $10,548. No one was physically hurt. There was no plea agreement.

During his morning-long sentencing Monday, friends, co-workers and his father described their shock at how a good guy could have gone bad.

Keane volunteered for assignments, showed compassion for his peers and prisoners under his watch, and loved his two young children, one of whom was diagnosed as a toddler with autism.

"He was one of the go-to people," said Maj. David Hackworth, a supervisor.

"I would still trust him," said Joseph DeViva, a fellow church member. "I just feel he made a mistake."

Parr, arguing for a lengthier sentence, described a different side. Keane stole a Sheriff's Office radio so he could monitor police response to his robberies, used the service weapon issued to him, even scraped off and then replaced a law-enforcement sticker on his car before and after each hold up.

She also said Keane stole $40 from a collection for a family's Christmas dinner.

And she urged the judge to remember the frightened bank tellers, several of whom were repeat victims. They filled a front row in the courtroom.

Latisha Manley testified about the unease and distrust that persists for her and her co-workers, at work and at home.

"Any time the door opens, you look.... You kind of look over your shoulder," she said. "You also look at law enforcement differently. You expect them to protect you, not come in and rob your bank."

Judge Morrison also emphasized the harm Keane did to law enforcement's reputation.

But Public Defender Kathleen Ortiz urged the judge to look at "John, the whole person," considering his personal troubles and his immediate and continued remorse.

"This is not a criminal," Ortiz said. "This is a good man who has committed some crimes. There is a distinction."

Keane's father, John Keane Sr., told the judge he had two requests: to take his son outside and "smack the snot out of him" for what he put the tellers and his family through, and to go to prison in his son's place, so his son could remain an active father to his children.

"No matter what happens here today, we will be here for him," Keane Sr. said.

Keane stood and read a statement, apologizing to everyone affected, and comparing himself to George Bailey in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," who discovered how good he really had it.

"There are no words to excuse the harm I have done," he read.

Sheriff's Office officials said he probably will have to serve his time in protective custody because of his former job.

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-5221, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com