North Canton woman due to be indicted in attempted robbery of Liberty bank

Staff report

WARREN

A Trumbull County grand jury declined to indict Fellicia A. Smith, 39, of North Canton on the June 9 attempted aggravated robbery of a Liberty bank because she’s due to be indicted by a federal grand jury.

That information was included in a grand jury report released this week.

Liberty police officers said they arrested Smith in the Belmont Avenue Giant Eagle parking lot June 9, shortly after her aborted attempt to rob First National Bank.

Police said Smith is a possible suspect in at least a dozen recent bank robberies in Northeast Ohio and federal investigators were also interested in the case.

Liberty police said they initially charged Smith with receiving stolen property because the license plate on her car was reported stolen out of Cuyahoga Falls.

Later, police found a “robbery note,” instructions on what she wanted the teller to do, and a knife and hammer in her purse.

Police said Smith entered First National Bank, 3718 Belmont Ave., near closing time. She was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a bandanna around her face.

When she approached the teller window, all of which are enclosed in bullet-proof glass, she started fumbling and acting nervously. Without saying anything, she quickly left the bank and drove away in a red Honda Civic.

Moments later, officers spotted her car turning into the Giant Eagle parking lot and blocked her in.

The Canton Repository newspaper has reported Smith was a former reporter at that paper, having last worked there in 2008.