Credit: Cranberry Township Police
By Larissa Dudkiewicz
A former parole officer from Harmony Township is accused of robbing a Hopewell bank and attempting to rob a second one in Cranberry Township.
Roy A. Barnes, 46, of Harmony Township, is charged with robbery and recklessly endangering another person.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Hopewell police, Barnes went into the ESB Bank at 2293 Brodhead Road in Hopewell on Friday, July 25 around 12:25 p.m., went to a teller’s window and asked for all of her $50s and $100s.
The teller told police Barnes had his hand in his pocket indicating the he had a weapon and had a calm demeanor. He also kept telling her “it isn’t worth it” because he may have thought she was hesitant, police said.
She put the money on the counter and police said he grabbed it and walked out of the bank.
"ESB Bank reported their loss was $264 cash," Hopewell police officer James Lewis wrote in the complaint.
Another teller watched Barnes walk toward a doctor’s office along Brodhead Road while taking off his jacket. He disappeared on the side of the building, police said.
The following day on July 26, police were advised of an attempted bank robbery at the ESB Bank in Cranberry Township.
According to the Cranberry Eagle, a man approached employees at the ESB bank around 10:30 a.m. at 2630 Rochester Road and demanded cash. The newspaper said a teller questioned the suspect before he repeated his demand for money and warned a different teller nearby, “Don’t push any buttons. It’s not worth your life,” according to court documents.
Police said the robber abruptly fled on foot without obtaining money from the bank and did not display a weapon.
Hopewell police said the suspect in the Cranberry incident fit the same description and spoke the same demands.
Cranberry police received numerous phone calls from the public after airing a report with Barnes’ photo. Officers compared notes, photos and videos and determined Barnes was their suspect.
On Aug. 11, Hopewell, Cranberry, and Harmony Township police went to Barnes house to speak with him. He agreed to come to the Harmony Township police station, where police said he confessed to both crimes. Police said he cited financial difficulties as the motivation.
Barnes was released Tuesday, Aug. 12 from the Beaver County Jail after posting $20,000 bond, according to court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this week on Hopewell's charges. He is awaiting arraignment on charges from Cranberry police of attempted robbery and terroristic threats.
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This story was updated on Aug. 19.
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A former parole officer from Harmony Township is accused of robbing a Hopewell bank and attempting to rob a second one in Cranberry Township.
Roy A. Barnes, 46, of Harmony Township, is charged with robbery and recklessly endangering another person.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Hopewell police, Barnes went into the ESB Bank at 2293 Brodhead Road in Hopewell on Friday, July 25 around 12:25 p.m., went to a teller’s window and asked for all of her $50s and $100s.
The teller told police Barnes had his hand in his pocket indicating the he had a weapon and had a calm demeanor. He also kept telling her “it isn’t worth it” because he may have thought she was hesitant, police said.
She put the money on the counter and police said he grabbed it and walked out of the bank.
"ESB Bank reported their loss was $264 cash," Hopewell police officer James Lewis wrote in the complaint.
Another teller watched Barnes walk toward a doctor’s office along Brodhead Road while taking off his jacket. He disappeared on the side of the building, police said.
The following day on July 26, police were advised of an attempted bank robbery at the ESB Bank in Cranberry Township.
According to the Cranberry Eagle, a man approached employees at the ESB bank around 10:30 a.m. at 2630 Rochester Road and demanded cash. The newspaper said a teller questioned the suspect before he repeated his demand for money and warned a different teller nearby, “Don’t push any buttons. It’s not worth your life,” according to court documents.
Police said the robber abruptly fled on foot without obtaining money from the bank and did not display a weapon.
Hopewell police said the suspect in the Cranberry incident fit the same description and spoke the same demands.
Cranberry police received numerous phone calls from the public after airing a report with Barnes’ photo. Officers compared notes, photos and videos and determined Barnes was their suspect.
On Aug. 11, Hopewell, Cranberry, and Harmony Township police went to Barnes house to speak with him. He agreed to come to the Harmony Township police station, where police said he confessed to both crimes. Police said he cited financial difficulties as the motivation.
Barnes was released Tuesday, Aug. 12 from the Beaver County Jail after posting $20,000 bond, according to court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this week on Hopewell's charges. He is awaiting arraignment on charges from Cranberry police of attempted robbery and terroristic threats.
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This story was updated on Aug. 19.
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