A New Hampshire man is charged with being a fugitive from justice in connection with the armed robbery at a Martha’s Vineyard bank on November 17.
Omar Johnson, 39, of Canterbury, New Hampshire, was arrested on Friday in Connecticut and arraigned in a New Haven, Connecticut, courtroom today.
Members of the Massachusetts state police, FBI, and New Haven Police Department say they were looking for the Jamaican-born suspect in a white Honda CRV with New Hampshire plates and stopped him near the intersection of Crescent and Fournier Street. He was taken into custody without incident, according to court documents. Massachusetts state police provided a photograph of Johnson so the arresting officer could confirm his identity.
Today, a judge ordered that Johnson be held on $250,000 bail until his return to Massachusetts on Jan. 3, where he’ll face charges of masked, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery with a firearm, according to court documents. Johnson, who waived extradition to Massachusetts, has not posted bail.
Authorities shared no details about why they believe he’s related to the robbery at the Rockland Trust branch in Vineyard Haven or how they knew he could be found in Connecticut.
Another man, 30-year-old Miquel Jones, who is a seasonal Martha’s Vineyard resident, was charged with accessory after the fact last week. He’s pled not guilty and is being held on a $300,000 cash bail. Assistant district attorney Michael Giardino said Jones’ car was likely involved in the robbery; and added that investigators found a green vegetation-like substance in both the getaway vehicle and on Jones’ shoes.
At 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 17, three armed suspects robbed the bank at gunpoint, tying up bank employees using plastic ties and duct tape, and stealing a teller’s car. They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash then ditched the teller’s car in a parking lot near the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, police say. The dramatic crime triggered school lockdowns that spread from the island to Falmouth.
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Photo courtesy WCVB. https://www.wcvb.com/article/arrest-charges-martha-s-vineyard-bank-robbery/42074357
