A man and a woman from Chesterfield, Mo., were arraigned last week on federal charges stemming from a February 2013 bank robbery in Columbia.

They were caught and arrested last year in St. Louis in connection with another bank robbery.

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, said Darren E. Everett, 43, and Mackenzie A. Leonard, 28, were arraigned on a federal indictment charging them with bank robbery. Both were ordered held without bond pending trial, which is scheduled for May 5 in federal court in East St. Louis.

The indictment charges that on Feb. 4, 2013, both defendants robbed Commerce Bank in Columbia of approximately $1,782. The bank building is connected to what is now the Schnucks grocery store in Columbia.

If convicted, they face a term of imprisonment of not more than 20 years, and a fine up to $250,000, or both, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment.

Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards said the decision to prosecute these suspects in federal court came about after consulting with Monroe County State’s Attorney Kris Reitz.

“(Together, we) determined it would be in the best interest of justice to present our case to the United States Attorney of the Southern District of Illinois since these two were suspected of committing other bank robberies in Missouri,” Edwards said. “This way rather than multiple jurisdictions in multiple states charging them, the federal government could charge them with all of the bank robberies.”