MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has revealed the name of a Mansfield man arrested on Thursday night in connection with an armed bank robbery in Centerburg.
Richard D. Poole, 43, of Mansfield, is in custody in the Knox County Jail, according to a Friday afternoon press release from Sheriff David Shaffer.
“The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the robbery investigation of the First Federal Savings and Loan in Centerburg,” Shaffer said.
Poole was arrested at his residence on Thursday evening, Shaffer stated.
Mansfield Police chief Keith Porch said the arrest took place at 10:36 p.m. after a search warrant was served at 292 Hedges St. in Mansfield.
Knox County Sheriff Detectives along with Mansfield Police Detectives and the Allied Special Operations Response Team (ASORT) executed the warrant in reference to a bank robbery in Knox County earlier in the day.
“Evidence including money recovered at the scene, directly links him to the robbery,” Shaffer stated.
Among the evidence, a vehicle was also seized from the driveway at the Hedges Street residence, Mansfield Police stated.
Knox County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to First Federal Savings and Loan, at 5 E. Main Street in Centerburg at 9:18 a.m. Thursday in connection with an armed bank robbery.
According to a Knox County Sheriff’s press release, the suspect was a white male wearing an Ohio State jacket, gray hat and sunglasses.
The release also noted he was carrying a cane and pretending to be blind. He allegedly displayed a handgun.
The suspect fled the area on foot, possibly in the alley behind the Subway on Main Street in Centerburg.
The release stated that a dark gray Jeep Latitude or similar vehicle displaying a temporary tag may be involved.
Centerburg Local Schools were on lockdown at 9:30 a.m. for 55 minutes, superintendent Ryan Gallwitz said.
Gallwitz was informed of the robbery by the district’s school resource officer, he said.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said it would like to thank our local citizens and witnesses for their tips and information that helped lead to the arrest.
The Mansfield Police Department and the Allied Special Operations Response Team assisted with the investigation and arrest. The incident remains under investigation.