COLUMBUS — A former Ohio State football player has avoided prison time after robbing multiple banks, our media partner WBNS-10 TV reported.
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Marcus Williamson, 27, pleaded guilty to nine counts of robbery for multiple incidents that happened in 2024.
WBNS-10 reported that during Williamson’s sentencing on Thursday, a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge declined to send him to prison.
During sentencing on Thursday, prosecutors argued for a lengthy prison sentence, explaining that one of the tellers in the case is scared of Williamson and wants him to spend time behind bars.
Prosecutors argued for a lengthy prison sentence for Williamson, saying one of the bank tellers in the case is scared of Williamson and wants him behind bars.
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In court, Williamson told the judge he has been dealing with mental health issues, specifically schizoaffective disorder, that he failed to manage.
“I failed to set the right example for how to handle oneself in crises, and for that I have no one to blame but myself. It’s no secret I’ve spent much of my adulthood struggling with my mental health. And while I’m not responsible for my diagnoses, I am responsible for taking care of it, for the sake of those around me and myself,” Williamson said.
The judge sentenced Williamson to 19 to 21.5 years of reserved prison time.
This means if Williamson completes the RISE program and four years of community control, he will not serve any time behind bars.
This program is designed to offer treatment for high-risk felony offenders who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, which was a primary factor leading to the crime, WBNS-10 reported.
“Even if I incarcerate Williamson for the maximum sentence, at some point, he’s coming home. So the question that we have to ask ourselves is how do we want people to re-enter?” Judge Sheryl Munson said.
She added that Williamson has been out in the community for two years without incident and has followed all of his bond conditions.
“The state of Ohio is probably very, very unhappy with me right now and I understand that. And the victim that’s present in this courtroom may be very unhappy with me right now, and I understand that too, but at the end of the day, I have to do what I think is right and in this case I think this is right. And if you prove me wrong, then that will be on me,” Munson said.
Williamson has been ordered to commit no new offenses, stay away from all financial institutions “for now” and comply with other conditions, WBNS-10 reported.
As previously reported, one of the robberies occurred on April 24, 2024. Records said Williamson entered the First Merchant’s Bank located at 5090 N. High Street.
He approached the teller and gave them a note demanding money and that he was armed with a gun.
The teller complied and gave Williamson an unspecified amount of cash.
During a court hearing for that incident, a Columbus Division of Police detective testified that Williamson was a suspect in at least eight other bank robberies.
The detective testified that Williamson had a pattern - he would drive the same Jeep, wearing latex gloves and a mask, and he would give the teller a note saying he had a gun and he was demanding money.
He testified that the police department had a search warrant for Williamson’s Jeep and placed a GPS tracking device on it when police say they watched him walk out of the First Merchant’s Bank with cash.
The robberies happened between March 7 and April 24.
Williamson, a Westerville native, played five seasons with the Buckeyes from 2017 to 2021.
He played defensive back and was part of four consecutive Big Ten championship teams and two teams that made it to the College Football Playoffs.
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