Paroled bank robber pleads guilty to breaking into Bay County police headquarters

BAY CITY, MI — A paroled bank robber is likely returning to prison after pleading guilty to breaking into the Bay County Law Enforcement Center.

Shane W. Gillette, 39, on Jan. 22 appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran and pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of police property and assaulting a jail employee. The charges are four- and five-year felonies, respectively.

The prosecution agreed to dismiss a second count of the assault charge.

Sheeran indicated he would sentence Gillette to one year in custody. However, Gillette’s parolee status means he has not been earning credit for jail time since his arrest in May. The Michigan Department of Corrections parole board may also terminate Gillette’s parole and require him to serve the remainder of his original sentence.

Gillette’s latest convictions stem from an incident that occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on May 12, when he went to the Law Enforcement Center at 503 Third St., which had closed to the public a half hour earlier. He picked up the red emergency telephone located on the exterior east wall and a dispatcher answered.

“(Expletive) you, get a cop out here right now!” Gillette screamed at the dispatcher before hanging up, reports state.

The building’s lobby is accessed through two sets of doors. The outer set remains unlocked while the inner set is locked at 4:30 p.m.

Gillette entered the vestibule and began punching, kicking, and throwing himself against the locked glass doors, as recorded by surveillance cameras. With the glass pane’s integrity weakened by each blow, it eventually shattered enough for Gillette to reach around the metal doorframe. He used both hands to pull the frame from its hinges until it fell to the ground, further breaking the glass, the video shows.

Gillette walked over the shattered glass into the lobby and approached the desks of the Bay City Department of Public Safety and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. He briefly spoke with officers on the city’s side before gesturing with his hands as though he had a rifle with which he would shoot them, the video shows.

“Shane was yelling, acting in an elevated manic state of mind, and sweating profusely,” a corporal wrote. “Shane refused to comply (with officers’ orders) and informed officers to come out from beyond the windows.”

Gillette removed the backpack, two jackets, baseball hat, and necklace he was wearing and tossed them to the ground. He made more “finger gun” motions as a deputy and city lieutenant entered through the broken lobby doors and arrested him, the video shows.

Police walked the handcuffed Gillette to the jail, at which point he said he would assault any officer he could and spat on a corrections officer, reports state.

Police determined the cost of the doors’ damage was around $30,000, Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham has said.

Still in the jail in June, Gillette assaulted a corrections officer who was assisting the jail nurse dispense medications. Gillette asked the CO for a transfer to another cellblock and the CO replied he could submit a written request to the administrator.

Gillette then asked the officer if he’d like some water and proceeded to toss a bowl of water on him, reports state. Gillette grabbed the CO by his throat and punched him in his face, knocking his eyeglasses away. The officer was unable to see as Gillette punched him three to four more times before another CO tackled the assailant to the ground, reports state.

The officer was left bleeding from his nose and face, suffered a cut under his left eye and large bump under his right eye.

Gillette’s parolee status stems from a bank heist he pulled off in January 2021. He went through the drive-thru window of Fifth Third Bank, 3870 State Street Road in Bangor Township, and passed a threatening note to a teller in a Taco Bell bag. The teller returned the bag to Gillette with $5,180 inside.

Gillette drove off but was pulled over the next day by Pennsylvania State Police as he drove 88 mph through Allegheny County. The Pontiac Grand Am he drove did not have a license plate.

Gillette told the Pennsylvania troopers he was moving to North Carolina, then said he robbed a bank in Bay City. He produced a bag containing cash bearing Fifth Third Bank bands.

Meanwhile, a pair of Williams Township siblings, ages 12 and 14, were outside exercising when they found a potato chip bag containing $1,000 in cash from the robbery. The siblings shared their discovery with their parents, who reported the cash to deputies.

Extradited to Bay County, Gillette in July 2021 pleaded guilty to bank robbery, a life offense. Judge Sheeran in September 2021 sentenced Gillette to two to 15 years in prison.

The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled Gillette on June 18, 2024. He was to remain on parole for two years, though a violation could result in him being returned to prison to serve the remainder of his time on the bank robbery conviction.

Sheeran is to sentence Gillette on March 2.