A Wentzville man is in custody Friday after an early morning bank robbery at First Bank in Dutzow.Warren Gladders, 64, a Wentzville attorney, was charged with first-degree assault against a law enforcement officer, armed criminal action, robbery in the first degree and possession of an illegal firearm. His bail has been set at $500,000.Missouri state troopers arrested Gladders at approximately 10 a.m. following a chase and a gun battle with a state trooper. Both the 26-year-old trooper and Gladders were injured in the shootout, according to Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison.The highway patrolman stopped Gladder's vehicle on Highway F near Route D near New Melle in St. Charles County. Gladders fired at the trooper, hitting him in the chest. The trooper returned fire, hitting Gladders in both legs, according to Harrison.Harrison said the trooper was wearing an armored vest. "He was shaken up, but the vest did its job," said Harrison. Both the trooper and Gladders were taken to an area hospital. Officials have not released the names of the trooper at this time. Both are expected to recover from their injuries.According to Harrison, Gladders, wearing a red shirt, glasses, rubber gloves, a black mask and blue jeans and armed with a small black revolver, entered the First Bank at 700 Bluff Road, Dutzow, at about 9:20 a.m. He ordered employees to put their hands up, then told tellers to give him the top bills out of the trays. Gladders told the tellers to fan the bills on the counter so there would not be any dye packs in the bills. He then ordered a teller to go to the vault and bring him only $50 and $100 bills, which he stuffed in a duffel bag. "Before leaving he told bank employees not to do anything for 60 seconds or he would kill everyone in the building," said Harrison.The wife of a customer in the bank saw the robbery unfold through a window and called 911, Harrison said. "She gave the dispatcher a play-by-play description of what was going on inside the bank, including a description of Gladders, his vehicle, a partial license plate identification and the direction he drove. This allowed police to immediately put out an all-points bulletin to law enforcement."Harrison praised the actions of the customers and the bank and law enforcement personnel. "The bank employees followed their safety and security protocols to the letter," said Harrison. "The customers did everything they were told to do and provided very good information to 911. The dispatcher and law enforcement agencies did everything right too, which allowed for a quick resolution. And the trooper was wearing his body armor and survived what would otherwise have been a life-threatening gunshot wound. We have a lot to be thankful for today."According to several legal websites, Gladders was a graduate of Washington University School of Law.

Paramedics tend to a bank robbery suspect wounded in a shootout with police on Highway F southeast of New Melle around 10 a.m. The suspect had fled after robbing First Bank in Dutzow around 9:15 a.m.

Derrick Forsythe Photo