![]() He had violated the National Bank Robbery Act, passed in 1934, in response to the increase of bank robberies during the Great Depression. It was made clear from the beginning that Chebatoris would be charged with a federal, not a state, offense. Chebatoris was apprehended by a road repairman in Midland County.įBI agents arrived at the scene shortly after the shootout. When Gracey tried to commandeer a truck, Hardy shot him in the head from a distance of over 100 yards. Hardy fired again, hitting Gracey’s elbow. Truck driver Henry Porter, of Bay City, whose uniform could have been confused for a police uniform, was a bystander in the area. ![]() This caused Chebatoris to lose control and crash into a parked car.Ĭhebatoris and Gracey exited the car, looking for the source of the gunshots. He used a hunting rifle to fire at the getaway car from his office window and struck Chebatoris’ arm and Gracey’s leg. Frank Hardy, whose dental practice was adjacent to the bank building, had heard the gunshots. The men decided to abort their robbery plan and fled the bank. Paul Bywater, the bank’s cashier, was shot in the back above the hip by Chebatoris. Gracey approached the 65-year-old bank president, Clarence Macomber, and shoved the shotgun into his ribs.Ĭhebatoris shot Macomber in the shoulder after he and Gracey struggled over the shotgun. with a sawed-off shotgun while Chebatoris guarded the door with a revolver. On September 29, 1937, Chebatoris and Gracey attempted to rob the Chemical State Savings Bank in Downtown Midland, Michigan. It was then that he and Jack Gracey became reacquainted and began formulating plans for a bank robbery. After more legal trouble in Pennsylvania, Tony moved back to Detroit in 1937. The two conspired to escape and were both consequently transferred to Marquette Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula.Ĭhebatoris was released from prison in December 1935. Jack Gracey and the bank robberyĭuring his time at Jackson State Prison, Chebatoris befriended fellow inmate Jack Gracey. It was enacted in 1919 with the goal of preventing organized thieves from trafficking stolen vehicles across state lines.Ĭhebatoris was re-imprisoned at Jackson State Prison to serve his full sentence for the armed robbery. The Dyer Act, also known as the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act, made stealing a vehicle a federal crime. ![]() Months after being released from prison, he was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky for armed robbery and stealing an automobile, violating the Dyer Act. Sentenced to 20 years, he was let out on parole after only six and a half years. Tony Chebatoris was first convicted on July 20, 1920, for armed robbery of a Packard cashier. Read: May 4, 1846: Michigan becomes first state to abolish death penalty Tony Chebatoris: The last man to be executed in Michigan In this article, we have put together information on the case of the 1938 execution as well as information about the death penalty in Michigan today. ![]() Now, in 2022, there is a Michigan man on death row for a crime committed on federal property. The 1938 execution was the first since Michigan abolished the death penalty nearly 100 years prior. The last person to face the death penalty in Michigan was executed 84 years ago by the federal government.
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