CINCINNATI — Police are looking for a man accused of robbing seven Cincinnati-area banks between Nov. 9 and Dec. 28.
The suspect is accused of robbing banks in Norwood, Sharonville and in three of Cincinnati's neighborhoods: Two in Mt. Washington, two in Hyde Park and one in Oakley.
Police said the suspect is between 25 and 35 years old. He is a 5’10’’ white man with blue/gray eyes and a thin build. He drives a “very distinct grayish blue” 2007 Chrysler 300C. The car has chrome door handles, chrome side mirrors and nine-spoke wheels. There is a dent in the passenger-side fender. Officials suspect the car has Ohio plates but have been unable to capture an image of it.
Financial Crimes Squad Det. Joseph Keating said the suspect has conducted each robbery in a similar way: He hands a teller a note demanding money and threatens to harm them if they don’t comply.
Although no one has been physically hurt in the robberies, Keating said the bank tellers he has interviewed were mentally distressed.
“You should feel safe in your home, you should also feel at work … yeah, it might just be the bank’s money, but these are individuals who are actually suffering trauma from being the victim of a crime," Keating said.
Watch Keating's briefing in the player below:
Keating said the suspect is very cognizant about leaving fingerprints; he takes the note with him when he leaves, and he leaves quickly. In each of the robberies, he has been wearing different hoodies, baseball caps and surgical face coverings.
Investigators suspected the same person might be responsible after they noticed similarities in what was written in the note and what the suspect was saying to the bank tellers, Keating said. Police did not disclose the contents of the note or what the suspect said as to not compromise the investigation.
Cincinnati police are working with agencies throughout southwest Ohio to see if other banks have been affected.
Robberies took place at these locations:
- Nov. 9: US Bank, 2261 Beechmont Ave. (Mt. Washington)
- Nov. 16: Northside Bank and Trust, 2739 Madison Road (Oakley)
- Nov. 24: Fifth Third Bank, 2094 Beechmont Ave. (Mt. Washington)
- Nov. 24: Fifth Third Bank, 2150 Sherman Ave. (Norwood)
- Dec. 14: US Bank, 3424 Edwards Road (Hyde Park)
- Dec. 18: Key Bank, 2652 Erie Ave. (Hyde Park)
- Dec. 28: Fifth Third Bank, 11792 Lebanon Road (Sharonville)
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040. There is a $1,000 reward for information that leads to identifying the suspect.
