Mom can't explain son's role in Hempfield bank robbery

Latreace Anna Jackson never suspected the trajectory of her son’s life would lead her to a Westmoreland County courtroom.

“The weight of my son’s crime is enormous. At first, I was in disbelief when I found out it was him. I thought, why? It was not his character,” Jackson of Jeannette testified Monday as she pleaded for a lenient sentence for her son.

Jonathan Smith Jr., 31, of Greensburg was ordered to serve up to five years in prison. He pleaded guilty in January to charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and terroristic threats.

Police said Smith had his face covered when he entered the East Pittsburgh Street branch of Key Bank in Hempfield on Nov. 24, 2021, and slipped the teller an orange index card on which he demanded money and suggested he was armed.

Authorities said he fled with more than $3,200 in cash.

Smith was identified by the lettering on his face mask and through DNA evidence collected from the index card, according to court records.

Jackson testified nothing in her son’s past led her to believe he was capable of robbing a bank.

“All these negative influences, they won. I didn’t know my son was so impressionable,” she told the judge.

Jackson described her son as a good student whose accomplishments led him to be on the dean’s list at Westmoreland County Community College, and he later a secured a good job that he lost after he became addicted to cocaine.

“He made a mistake, and I hope he can recover from it. I am ashamed. I can’t speak for him but to the bank, I’m sorry. To the teller, I’m sorry you went through that. I hope he never does anything like this again,” Jackson testified. “I expected great things from him. He made a wrong turn, and here we are.”

Smith told the judge addiction and mental health issues that he kept secret from his family members led to the bank robbery.

“I kept that secret for a long time. Outside of this addiction, I would never have done anything like this. It was a moment that happened fast. My mind broke and it happened. My life exploded, and this is a ripple effect,” Smith said.

Judge Tim Krieger ordered Smith to serve at least 30 months in prison. Smith was given credit for nearly a year he served in jail after his arrest. He had been free on unsecured bail since last May.

“You were a promising young man, and you still are. I am not going to throw you away. You can make something of this, and it’s up to you,” Krieger said. “I want to grant mercy, but I also have an obligation to justice.”