WATERVILLE — The man who held up TD Bank on Main Street earlier this month is a suspect in three other bank robberies in central Maine.
According to Waterville Deputy Police Chief Charles Rumsey, the robberies have occurred over a 26-month span, starting in December 2012, when the Franklin Savings Bank in Skowhegan was held up.
Additional robberies at the Key Bank in Waterville in February 2013, the Bangor Savings Bank in Skowhegan in February 2014 may have been committed by the same suspect, according to Rumsey.
The deputy chief said the robberies were committed in similar fashion, in which a note threatening violence was presented to a teller and cash was demanded. The robber never displayed a weapon nor spoke during any robbery.
“These cases are unusual in that the suspect seemed to display a great deal of calm and restraint in casually walking toward and then away from the crime scene,” Rumsey said.
In each case, the robber has worn heavy clothing, such as a parka, along with gloves and different types of hats and facial coverings, according to Rumsey.
Waterville police Chief Joseph Massey, Pittsfield police Chief Steven Emery and Skowhegan police Chief Ted Blais and detectives at their respective departments are working diligently on the case, Rumsey said. The robber is believed to be between 55 and 65 years old, heavyset and between 5-feet-6 and 5 feet 10 inches tall.
If and when the suspect is caught, federal charges are possible, according to Rumsey, as the case has attracted the concern of the FBI.
“The frequency of the crimes and some other particularities lead us to believe that this isn’t a robber committing crimes to fuel a drug habit,” Massey said in a statement prepared by Rumsey. “Frankly, once we know who is committing these robberies, we are very curious to learn why he is doing this.”
Massey went on to add that police aren’t ruling out any other motives besides a drug habit for the robberies.
Waterville Police Det. David Caron has been assigned the case, according to Rumsey, and he will be sharing information he gathers with investigators from the other communities.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact Waterville police at 680-4700. Anonymous tips can be submitted at watervillepolice.org.
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