ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — A Texas man was convicted and sentenced last week for the October 2010 robbery of RBC Bank in Robertsdale.

According to court records provided by the Baldwin County District Attorney’s office, Baldwin County Circuit Court Judge J. Langford Floyd sentenced Michael Jon Watton, 29, of Dayton, Texas, on Wednesday, Aug. 17 to 20 years with time served, suspending the sentence down to five years with five years probation.

Watton pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery following his arrest in October after holding up RBC Bank in Robertsdale at knife point.

Robertsdale Police arrested Watton at his grandmother’s residence on County Road 36 in Summerdale. Police recovered $1,306 of the $3,875 taken in the robbery, along with a black Jeep Cherokee that matched the description of a vehicle police believed was used in the robbery. Watton has also been ordered to pay back the remaining $2,569 from the robbery, along with a $500 fine and court costs.

Following the Oct. 1 robbery, Robertsdale Police were able to follow a tip received from the F.B.I. Hotline, and used surveillance video and pictures taken at the scene. The vehicle, belonging to Watton’s fiancé, was processed and released back to her, because she had no involvement or knowledge about the robbery.

According to Sgt. Rex Bishop of the Robertsdale Police Department at the time of his arrest, Watton was in the area visiting relatives and seeking employment, and was making plans to return to Texas, when the arrest occurred. It was believed his mother also lived around this area, but had no knowledge of Watton’s involvement in the robbery.

According to reports, Watton was also sentenced in April to three years, five months by a federal court in Mobile. The two sentences are scheduled to run concurrently.

At the time of the arrest, Bishop thanked the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department, the F.B.I., Fresh Produce and Sweat Tires in Robertsdale for video and pictures leading to the arrest.

“We were able to get some good information that led us to the suspect through video, footprints, pictures and viewer tips. I am very glad we were able to get him,” Bishop said.

RPD Chief Brad Kendrick reported at the time of the arrest that this was the first robbery in Robertsdale since Feb. 12, 1956, where they got away with $300 to $500.