Crime Beat: Man suspected in Dutchess, Orange bank heists

When a man walked into the Rhinebeck Savings Bank on Route 9 at 2 p.m. Nov. 23, the bank happened to be empty of customers.

The man pushed a note across the counter to the bank teller. The note said he had a gun. There was a demand for cash.

So the Town of Poughkeepsie teller complied. For what police believe was the fourth time since October, the man left a mid-Hudson Valley bank with money that was not his.

The same suspect is believed to have robbed three banks in Orange County, including a New Windsor bank the day before the Poughkeepsie incident, Town of Poughkeepsie police Detective Roger Kroll said.

Time adds difficulty

"The more time that goes by, it does become more difficult" to solve the case, Kroll said. "But we haven't stopped checking out leads."

Communication within and among police departments is crucial when a robber targets banks across several jurisdictions.

"It's extremely important," Kroll said about working together. "The more leads we get, the better off we are."

In addition to the town robbery, the same suspect is thought to be responsible for an Oct. 11 robbery of a Citizens Bank on Route 303 in Circleville and a Nov. 22 robbery of a Key Bank on Route 32 in New Windsor.

Detective Rob Compasso of the Monroe Police Department has been leading the investigation into the Nov. 10 robbery of the First Federal Savings Bank on Route 17M.

Although the departments involved have been sharing information, they also make sure to divvy up any leads to avoid duplicating work, Compasso said.

"We have strong reason to believe these are all related," said Compasso, who declined to give details. "The more times he does it, the more evidence he's going to leave behind for us."

In the Poughkeepsie and New Windsor robberies, the man was wearing the same or similar clothes. In both robberies, the suspect did not display a weapon.

"It's instilling fear into someone, that's a key element of the robbery, whether they show a weapon or not," Kroll said. "He told the person he had a gun and the implication is, 'If you don't do what I say, I'm going to kill you.' "

Even claiming to have a weapon can lead to a higher charge against a suspect, Kroll said.

Whether a weapon is shown or not, it's important for bank employees to do whatever they can to avoid physical harm.

"You just don't know. Why take a chance?" Kroll said.

The suspect is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 170 pounds with a thin, unshaven face and a suntan, police said. He was wearing a navy blue jacket with gray lines near the shoulder area and black pants with red and white lines on the sides, both of which were wind-breaker material. He was also wearing a ball cap.

Crime Beat, which explores law enforcement issues and cases worked by police in the mid-Hudson Valley, appears Mondays. To suggest a topic, call 845-437-4833. Kathianne Boniello can be reached at kboniello@poughkeepsiejournal.com

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