Man who threatened to set off car bomb during Maine bank robbery gets 3 years in prison

A Westbrook man who threatened to set off a car bomb while robbing a bank using its drive-through will spend three years in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen handed down the sentence this week against 41-year-old Jason Arsenault, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
In addition, he will serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,700 in restitution.
Arsenault drove a black Chevrolet Suburban up to the Key Bank on Gorham Road in South Portland about 11:49 a.m. on Jan. 26, 2024, wearing a black winter hat, sunglasses and a black mask.
Using the pneumatic tube in the drive-through lane, Arsenault sent a message to the teller, reading, “CAR BOMB No Cops Alarms or WE ALL DIE $50,000 in 20’s,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
No weapons or explosives were displayed during the robbery.
He fled with about $30,000 in the Suburban, which police located about a mile away in a parking lot off John Roberts Road, authorities said at the time.
Police arrested Arsenault without incident six days later in a parked vehicle on Mabel Street in Portland. He was charged with robbery, theft, terrorizing and unauthorized use of property.
The U.S. attorney’s office said that Arsenault led police to the money, which was hidden in a backpack in Baxter Woods in Portland. Police recovered nearly all the money.
He pleaded guilty on July 29.