Scranton bank robber accomplice sentenced to 10 years in prison

By Brandon Hurley
Managing Editor
news@beeherald.com

A missed court date in October played a key role in a convicted bank robber’s extended sentencing.

Tyler Mattingly, 27, of Fort Dodge was sentenced to 10 years in a state prison Monday after aiding Zachary Wailes in the robbery of People’s Bank in Scranton last winter.
Mattingly told a female, Courtney Loew, to phone in a fake accident report Feb. 25, 2021 in an effort to lure law enforcement away from Scranton.
Loew admitted to making the call following an OWI arrest a few weeks after the robbery, pointing out Mattingly’s direct involvement. Mattingly was a key architect in the shocking armed theft, exchanging several text messages with Wailes.

Bank cameras on Feb. 25, captured a man, later identified as Wailes, dressed in all black with a zebra-print gaiter entering Peoples Bank about 10:45 a.m.
He entered and demanded money and left. Employees say he was armed with what appeared to be a handgun. Wailes was inside the bank for only a couple of minutes.
Prosecutors claimed Wailes reached for his pocket, where an eye witness said they saw a black handle of a gun. Wailes admitted he told a bank employee to put money in the bag he possessed, though he said he did not reach for or expose a firearm.

Wailes also admitted to organizing a ploy for his accomplice, Mattingly to file a false accident report outside of Scranton in order to create a distraction. Text messages recovered by law enforcement confirm the plan to conduct a fake call to dispatch, where the pair also discussed what vehicle would be used to escape and how they would dispose of their cell phones.
Mattingly admitted in a guilty plea on June 18 to assisting Wailes “in his theft of funds from People’s Bank by facilitating the call to law enforcement,” court documents say. The defense team of lawyers then filed a motion for release with an ankle monitor prior to sentencing. It was at first denied on June 20 but approved a day later on June 21.
Mattingly’s 10 year sentence comes on the heels of a five previous felony convictions - a handful of thefts and two burglaries.

Mattingly also plead guilty on three charges of forgery in 2014 in Carroll. He was convicted for second degree theft in 2015 and was sentenced to five years in prison in May for committing a crime in August of 2014. He was also convicted for third degree burglary in May of 2015 after committing the crime in March of  that year.

Mattingly’s crimes haven’t been restricted to just Carroll or Greene County, either. He pled guilty of second degree theft in 2016 after committing the crime in December of 2015 in Story County. Additionally, he was most recently found guilty for possession of a controlled substance, methamphetime after being arrested in October of 2021. He was ordered to serve 60 days in jail.
Though it was proven Mattingly did not enter People’s Bank on Feb. 25 and was not near the location, the court proved he played a key role in organizing the robbery. Under Iowa law, Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn said, a person can be charged with the same crime as the original offender if he is found to aide and abet.

“It’s never been alleged that Mattingly was at the bank or physically present when the robbery occurred, but if he did anything to further the commission of that crime, he can be charged with the same crime as Wailes,” Laehn said. “The state alleged that he arranged for that phone call to be made and knowing that it would draw law enforcement to the other side of the county and thereby making it more difficult for Wailes to be apprehended.”

Mattingly’s sentencing is two years more than Wailes – the original offender was sentenced to eight years in December – because Wailes was prosecuted in federal court, while Mattingly was at the state level. Laehn said a federal judge can use more discretion in deciding terms, while a state judge is restricted to either a 10 year sentence or probation for a Class C felony. Laehn suggested the 10-year sentence in opposition of the defense’s request of probation because of the seriousness of the crime in addition to Mattingly’s prior convictions.

“He’ll be eligible for parole at some point and likely won’t serve a full 10 years in prison,” Laehn said. “That’s the other difference between federal and state. Eight years of a federal sentence means eight years. Whereas (with) a 10-year state sentence he’ll be paroled out well before then, likely.”

Loew, who made the phone call under Mattingly’s orders while the pair was driving to Des Moines on Feb. 25, is not being charged in the robbery, Laehn said. The courts could not prove that she made the phone call to dispatch with prior knowledge of the crime. She made the call three minutes before Wailes entered the bank in Scranton. There was no evidence Loew was in on the robbery.
Loew’s admittance of making the call was the break in the case, Laehn said. Her cooperation immediately helped patch things further along and wrap the case together.

“Once she agreed to tell us what happened, that led us to Mattingly,” Laehn said. “Once we got to him, we could figure out that he had been communicating with Wales.”
Mattingly’s initial sentencing date was set for October 11 of last year, but he did not appear. The judge took notice of the lack of awareness, issued a warrant and law enforcement thusly arrested Mattingly on Dec. 27. A full court docket slowed the official sentencing date until mid-February.

“There are many reasons why prison was appropriate in this case, but his failure to appear and the fact the judge had to issue a warrant for an arrest certainly did not help (Mattingly),” Laehn said.  

Now that both Wailes and Mattingly have been formally charged, Laehn said the courts can properly make an example of the case. Robbery won’t be tolerated in Greene County, he said.

“This was a very serious crime,” Laehn said. “I think justice was done in this case. We need people to know that if you try to commit an armed bank robbery in Greene County or assist, you’re going to prison. I think (Monday’s) judgement sends that message loud and clear.”