Thursday, March 24, 2011
YOUNGSTOWN
A 40-year-old man accused of robbing a local bank has pleaded not guilty in Mahoning County Common Pleas court.
Brandon J. Schmitt of Boardman was arrested at a motel in Moon Township, Pa., by U.S. marshals Jan. 21 in the Jan. 13 robbery of First National Bank, 7025 Market St.
Schmitt was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to taking more than $5,000 from the bank. Magistrate Dominic J. DeLaurentis Jr. continued his bond at $25,000, according to court records.
Although robbing a federally insured bank such as First National is a federal offense, the FBI was not the primary agency investigating the case, and the prosecution is being handled at the county, not federal, level.
The case “actually doesn’t meet the criteria,” said FBI Supervisor Special Agent Jon Holloway, who also is the head of the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force.
“There were no weapons present. He did not use a firearm. When it’s a note or verbal demand, generally the U.S. attorney will not prosecute. We will assist local agencies if we are requested,” Holloway said.
Boardman police reports stated that a man wearing a black coat and black ski mask walked into the bank and said he had a weapon, but no one actually saw it. There were no customers in the bank during the robbery.
The exception is if “it’s a serial-note job, if a guy does it more than once,” Holloway said.
Schmitt has had traffic violations in the 1990s and a 2006 charge of obstructing official business, but hasn’t been accused of robbing a bank before.
“We just don’t routinely do bank robberies. Our resources are stretched thin, and we came up with this policy a while ago,” Holloway said. “...We’ll still do lab results and help interview” to assist local agencies.
Boardman police appreciate the help, said police Chief Jack Nichols.
Bank robberies in Boardman are “fairly rare. ... We seem to solve all of them, largely because of the help from the FBI, and we’ve worked well with them,” Nichols said.
When the U.S. marshals and Boardman police went to arrest Schmitt, he barricaded himself in the motel room, and police had to break down the door, records state.
Since then, the motel has sent a bill to the township claiming more than $1,000 worth of damage.
Those types of costs usually are added to the court docket so if a person is found guilty, part of his or her sentence is paying that bill, Nichols said.
“It all depends on the circumstances,” he said.
Schmitt is scheduled to go to trial April 18.