A manhunt is underway in Missouri for the man police believe was behind the Tuesday morning robbery of a Southridge Centre bank and as many as 40 bank robberies in several states, Charleston detectives said today.
Interactive map of 15 robberies man is suspected to have perpetrated
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A manhunt is underway in Missouri for the man police believe was behind the Tuesday morning robbery of a Southridge Centre bank and as many as 40 bank robberies in several states, Charleston detectives said today.
Joseph Paul Young, 37, of Rogersville, Mo., eluded FBI agents and members of the Missouri Highway Patrol by jumping into a culvert after crashing his truck several miles from his house last night, Charleston Police Sgt. S.A. Cooper said. Because of darkness and inclement weather, officers were unable to track him after the culvert emptied into a nearby river, he said.
Young may be responsible for as many as 40 robberies in multiple states, Cooper said.
Charleston police were able to identify Young after a citizen called in a tip about seeing someone driving a truck with out-of-state license plates acting suspiciously on Tuesday. Hours later, the Summit Community bank at Southridge was robbed, and police released photos of the suspect and his vehicle, a black pickup truck, to the media.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, the tipster saw a similar truck with Missouri plates driving slowly, as if the driver were lost, before the truck pulled in to the First Bank of Charleston on Washington Street West around 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
Using surveillance video from the bank's ATM, police confirmed that the driver was the suspect from the bank robbery. After getting subpoenas for his bank records, police identified the man via his bank account at the Guaranty Bank in Springfield, Mo.
"It turns out he was checking his account balance," Cooper said.
Interactive map of 15 robberies man is suspected to have perpetrated
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A manhunt is underway in Missouri for the man police believe was behind the Tuesday morning robbery of a Southridge Centre bank and as many as 40 bank robberies in several states, Charleston detectives said today.
Joseph Paul Young, 37, of Rogersville, Mo., eluded FBI agents and members of the Missouri Highway Patrol by jumping into a culvert after crashing his truck several miles from his house last night, Charleston Police Sgt. S.A. Cooper said. Because of darkness and inclement weather, officers were unable to track him after the culvert emptied into a nearby river, he said.
Young may be responsible for as many as 40 robberies in multiple states, Cooper said.
Charleston police were able to identify Young after a citizen called in a tip about seeing someone driving a truck with out-of-state license plates acting suspiciously on Tuesday. Hours later, the Summit Community bank at Southridge was robbed, and police released photos of the suspect and his vehicle, a black pickup truck, to the media.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, the tipster saw a similar truck with Missouri plates driving slowly, as if the driver were lost, before the truck pulled in to the First Bank of Charleston on Washington Street West around 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
Using surveillance video from the bank's ATM, police confirmed that the driver was the suspect from the bank robbery. After getting subpoenas for his bank records, police identified the man via his bank account at the Guaranty Bank in Springfield, Mo.
"It turns out he was checking his account balance," Cooper said.
The tipster saw a picture of the suspect's truck during a television newscast, and decided to call police, Cooper said.
The "Plaid Shirt Robber," so-called because bank footage shows him wearing plaid shirts in multiple robberies, is believed to be responsible for at least three robberies in the Charleston area, including one in St. Albans on July 25, Cooper said.
Young has a previous bank robbery conviction, Cooper said, but he didn't know details about where or when.
Young allegedly walked into the City National Bank on MacCorkle Avenue on June 27 and handed the teller a note that said, "Robbery, Give Me All Your Money Look Straight Ahead, I do have a weapon and will use it," according to the criminal complaint.
Between the two Charleston robberies, Young made off with about $50,000, Cooper said.
Since Charleston Police identified Young, authorities in Lexington, Va., have said they believe he is responsible for a robbery there, Cooper said.
Reach Andrew Clevenger at acleven...@wvgazette.com or 348-1723.
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