Saturday, February 06, 1999
Court hears details of bank heist
Grand jury gets three referrals
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — An FBI agent testified Friday that four men allegedly involved in a Covington Fifth Third bank robbery Wednesday — in which shots were fired at police — planned the robbery the night before.
Three of the four suspects — Antonio Jordan of Bond Hill, and Donald Evans and Roddrick Blackwell, both of Covington — were bound over to a federal grand jury by U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wehrman Friday after a probable cause hearing in U.S. District Court. They were ordered held without bond pending a Feb. 19 hearing.
FBI Special Agent Mike Schafer testified that Mr. Evans told authorities after his arrest that the four discussed plans for the robbery on Tuesday night.
Plan went awry
According to the FBI complaint filed with the court, Mr. Blackwell drove the other three suspects to the Fifth Third branch at 6th and Madison streets. He was supposed to pick them up when they came out, but was not there and the trio fled on foot.
Covington Police Officer Mike McGuffy spotted Mr. Evans and Mr. Jordan, who allegedly fired at him. Officer McGuffy returned fire through the windshield of his cruiser and subsequently arrested Mr. Jordan.
Mr. Evans was arrested nearby by other officers, and Mr. Blackwell was arrested later at his Covington home. The car was found abandoned near the bank. Police recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a .22 caliber revolver, and Agent Schafer said both weapons had been fired.
Money recovered
Authorities said the men took about $4,500, including $500 from a bank customer. The money was recovered near the bank in a pillowcase.
A fourth suspect, Duane Finnell, 35, of Lakeside Park, was arrested by FBI agents in Cincinnati Thursday morning. He had not appeared in court as of Friday and was being held in the Kenton County jail.
One of the cashiers at the bank, Tanya Miller, told FBI agents that she recognized Mr. Evans because he and her brother had been high school classmates.
Covington police charged Mr. Jordan with attempted murder for shooting at Officer McGuffy, and all four men were charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.
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