Suspect may be tied to 2 bank robberies

STAFF REPORT

GIRARD

Girard police may have arrested the man suspected in a number of recent local burglaries, including two bank robberies, according to WFMJ TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

In its report, WFMJ said Girard police arrested a man Wednesday acting on a tip from Vincent Randolph, a Youngstown City Hall security guard, who saw the surveillance video of the Dollar General store robbery on television Monday and recognized the man.

Girard police would not comment on the arrest Wednesday night.

According to WFMJ, the guard said the suspect had once offered to fix his car in a local shopping plaza and left him his telephone number. Randolph called the suspect, who then came to the guard’s Girard home to fix the car.

When the suspect arrived, Randolph called the police, then delayed the suspect by telling him the car had problems with the fuel pump.

Police surrounded the car and arrested the suspect, who Randolph said was bragging to him about how he had robbed banks and gotten away with it.

Several stores have been robbed recently, as well as Huntington Bank in Girard Tuesday and a PNC bank in Sharpsville, Pa., Wednesday.

In the bank robberies, the masked suspect showed a knife to tellers and escaped on foot with undetermined amounts of money.

Randolph said the suspect was wearing the same clothing as the man who robbed the Dollar General store.