Zelie bank heist
ZELIENOPLE — A Grove City man said robbing the Citizens Bank on North Main Street Monday afternoon was a “last resort” from his inability to find work, according to a police statement.
Police also believe the man might be a suspect in a similar bank robbery a week earlier in Sandy Lake in Mercer County where the bank robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Matthew Chestnut, 35, of Brent Road near Grove City turned himself in to police at his parents home in Liberty Township after police tracked his vehicle registration to his parents.
Chestnut told police the reason he robbed the bank was that he had just run out of options and could not find work.
Citizens Bank did not have an exact count of the money that was taken, but the criminal complaint noted it was in excess of $500.
He is charged with robbery, receiving stolen property, attempting to elude police and driving with a suspended license.
Charges in the other bank robbery case still are pending.
Chestnut is in the Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail.
Though state police helicopters circled over the borough looking for the suspect Monday afternoon, most people were unaware that the bank hold up had even occurred.
Only when they saw the police tape and were turned away by a note on the bank window did people realize something was wrong.
Chief Jim Miller of the Zelienople police said Chestnut allegedly entered the bank at 2:15 p.m. Monday wearing sunglasses and passed a note to the teller demanding her to remove money from her teller drawer. No weapon was used.
The bank teller put a red dye pack in with the money, which exploded in the man's hands while he was attempting his getaway.
He dropped the money in the street and drove off in a dark-colored SUV.
Miller said witnesses originally described the Jeep Grand Cherokee as blue/green, but police later discovered it was actually black, but only looked blue/green from all of the mud on the vehicle.
The Butler County 911 Center put out a radio description of the vehicle for neighboring police departments.A Jackson Township police officer had spotted the vehicle on Seneca School Road and made a traffic stop on Hartmann Road near the Seneca Landfill.Once the officer got out of his vehicle and approached Chestnut, he fled, leading the officer on a brief chase before the officer lost sight of the vehicle, but not before he got the license plate number.State police went to the address listed to the vehicle's owner, Chestnut's father in Liberty Township.State police were able to convince Matthew Chestnut to turn himself in, who had been driving on Interstate 79 when he was contacted.He was arrested at 4 p.m. Monday, less than two hours after the robbery.Miller said when state police apprehended Chestnut, he allegedly had red dye from the exploded dye pack on his hands and clothes.According to a police statement taken at the Zelienople police station, Chestnut admitted going into the Citizens Bank to police and an FBI agent, passing the note and robbing the bank.He told police the note stated “calmly take the money from the drawer and put it on the counter.”The note was typed on regular printing paper, according to the criminal complaint.When he fled the bank, Chestnut told police he was in a cloud of red smoke from the exploding dye pack.He dropped the money and note in the street and drove off.Chestnut also admitted to fleeing from the Jackson officer, before talking to state police and turning himself in at his parent's home, the criminal complaint said.The Zelienople Branch of Citizens Bank reopened for business this morning.
