National Park Bank Robbery Nets Paul Henning 14-Year Prison Term

A West Deptford man who stole $6,400 in a was sentenced Friday to 14 years in state prison and ordered to pay restitution for the robbery.

Paul K. Henning, 52, whose last known address was on Delaware Street, apologized to the bank employees and police at his sentencing, acknowledging the robbery of The Bank, now Fulton Bank of New Jersey, on Grove Avenue in June 2011 stemmed from his alcoholism.

“This was nothing personal,” Henning said in court. “It had everything to do with my drinking problem.”

After , Henning said he spent his time in jail considering how the robbery affected his victims, something he said weighed heavily on him.

“I’m sure I frightened them, and this could affect them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

It was near the close of the business day on June 8, 2011, when Henning entered the bank office, brandished a steak knife and demanded cash. He took off on foot after stealing about $6,400, but a tattoo gave him away.

His distinctive, barbed-wire-style ink at the base of his neck led Westville/National Park police to pinpoint Henning as the robber, and he was arrested the following week at a relative’s apartment in West Deptford.

Henning had just $209 on him when he was arrested, but will have to repay the full $6,400 to the bank.

In sentencing him, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson admonished Henning and told him to seek help for his addiction.

“You will remain lawless until your alcoholism is effectively dealt with,” she said.