PITTSBURGH — A former Butler County man will be sentenced in federal court later this year in the 2018 robbery of a Zelienople bank.

Chad Vaughan, 33, formerly of Evans City pleaded guilty Wednesday to a bank robbery charge before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced July 7.

Authorities said that in his plea Vaughan admitted he robbed the NexTier Bank on South Main Street in Zelienople on Oct. 23, 2018, making off with $2,065.00.

He was eventually caught and a federal grand jury indicted him on one charge of bank robbery March 5, 2019.

He admitted that before he robbed the bank, authorities said, he used his cell phone to search the internet for “what is the jail time for a bank robbery?” and “how easy is it to rob a bank?”

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Friday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.