Lee’s Summit, Belton Men Indicted for Robbing Commerce Bank

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Lee's Summit, Mo., man and a Belton, Mo., man were indicted by a federal grand jury today for robbing Commerce Bank.

Gerrad Deshaun Rivera-Willis, 24, of Lee's Summit, and Rathell Qauvon Ross, 27, of Belton, were charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today's indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against both men on April 23, 2024. They remain detained in federal custody without bond.

The federal indictment alleges that Rivera-Willis and Ross stole $2,033 from Commerce Bank, 8901 State Line Road in Kansas City, Mo., on April 22, 2024.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Rivera-Willis dropped off a robbery note with a teller and grabbed the cash that was sitting on the counter during a transaction with a customer. Rivera-Willis then took cash out of a teller's drawer, walked behind the counter, and had the teller show him that the opened safe was empty. Ross placed a note on the counter and was then handed cash by the teller.

Rivera-Willis and Ross allegedly fled from the bank in a stolen white Dodge Charger with all blacked-out tinted windows, all black wheels, a rear spoiler, blacked-out taillights, and the word "Dodge" across the top of rear window. The vehicle was wrecked in the vicinity of Gregory and Paseo, the affidavit says, and investigators saw Rivera-Willis and Ross running from the vehicle.

Ross, the passenger, was found by a police dog hiding behind the garage of a residence in the 1800 block of East 70^th Street. Ross was hiding under a pile of rubbish covered by a tarp.

Rivera-Willis, the driver, was later found sitting on the front stoop of a residence in the 7000 block of Paseo Avenue and arrested. A police dog and his handler walked the scent path taken by Rivera-Willis and found the stolen money in a cinder block near another residence.

The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.