A Bloomington man who hopscotched around Twin Cities suburbs for about a month last spring robbing banks is now serving a long prison term.

Jayvon D. Gant, 28, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Minneapolis to an eight-year prison term for holding up banks in Blaine, Bloomington, Cottage Grove, Fridley and Oakdale, and attempting to rob a bank in Edina.

Gant, who pleaded guilty in August, employed the same strategy in each heist from May 9 to June 7. He would give a teller a note demanding money, express that sentiment in spoken words, and demand that the note be given back to him.

One such note read, "Give me all the money out the top and bottom drawer act calm and normal NO Gps or Dypack Im going to go through the money at this counter so don't play games with me give me the money act normal no one will get hurt."

Prosecutors offered a modest degree of praise for the defendant, saying in a presentencing court filing, "To his credit Mr. Gant apparently did not use, possess, or brandish a weapon when committing these crimes."

Gant wore "a similar combination of clothing," most distinctly a yellow and black head scarf and various new pairs of sneakers, the criminal complaint against him said. Gant also "kept a cellular telephone pressed against his ear and appeared to talk on the phone throughout the robberies," the complaint continued.

The banks Gant targeted were U.S. Bank, 231 County Road 10 NE., Blaine; TCF Bank, 5205 Central Av. NE., Fridley; Wells Fargo Bank, 5116 Vernon Av. S., Edina; TCF Bank, 7155 East Point Douglas Road S., Cottage Grove; U.S. Bank, 7620 10th St. N., Oakdale; and Premier Bank, 500 W. 98th St., Bloomington.

He fled with cash at all but the Edina bank, according to investigators. Following the Bloomington holdup on June 7, law enforcement located Gant about 3½ miles to the west at his third-floor apartment. He leapt from his balcony to one a floor below, where he broke the sliding glass door, entered the apartment and was confronted by pursuing officers. He jumped from the balcony again, this time to the ground, where he was apprehended.

During the robbery spree, Gant was on probation for robbing a bank in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Hurst.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482