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Man charged in bank robbery
BOARDMAN
A 25-year-old township man accused of robbing a bank did not enter plea in court Tuesday morning.
Police arrested Bernard M. Anderson of Argyle Avenue at 12:38 a.m. Tuesday at the Travelers Inn, 6110 Market St. Anderson is charged with aggravated robbery in connection with the Sept. 19 Key Bank robbery.
Anderson will receive court-appointed counsel, and his bond was set at $50,000 Tuesday during his arraignment in Mahoning County Area Court here.
Key Bank, located at Market Street and Meadowbrook Avenue, reported a robbery about 3:25 p.m. Sept. 19. Police said a man passed a note to a bank teller demanding money and saying he had a gun, and the bank teller turned over an undisclosed amount of cash.
The bank teller who was given the note had shortness of breath and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, police said. One customer and several bank employees were present during the robbery.
Police Chief Jack Nichols said the security footage of the bank robber helped determine a suspect. Nichols said Anderson was also charged with several drug offenses that were not related to the bank robbery.
“It was a joint drug investigation and the [security] images helped us,” Nichols said. “This year, it seemed like we had a few more bank robberies, but ... we end up catching the guys.”
This is the third bank robbery in the township this year. First National Bank, 7025 Market St., was robbed Jan. 13 and June 15.
Brandon Schmitt, 40, of Boardman, pleaded guilty in Mahoning County Common Pleas court to the Jan. 13 robbery. Douglas P. Centafanti Jr., 35, of Boardman, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio to the June 15 robbery.
Anderson will be in area court again Oct. 4 for a preliminary hearing.