Suspect charged in Cranberry bank robbery
CRANBERRY TWP — A Freedom man arrested following a bank robbery Tuesday in McCandless is now facing charges for another bank robbery in Cranberry Township in September.
Patrick R. Acierno, 34, is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, all felonies. The charges stem from the September robbery of the PNC Bank branch on Route 19 near North Boundary Road.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, Acierno allegedly admitted to police Tuesday that he was responsible for the September robbery in the township.
The complaint states police were called to the bank at 10:14 a.m. Sept. 12 for a holdup alarm. Acierno reportedly entered the bank wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a white cloth mask covering his face below his nose. The suspect was also wearing sunglasses and a black baseball cap.
He approached a teller and said, “Don't anyone move; put all the money in the bag,” the complaint states. Two employees placed cash from the drawers in a bag, and the robber left. An audit by PNC indicates $3,623.40 was taken.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Acierno had not yet been arraigned.
Acierno's alleged admission to committing the crime came after he was arrested for allegedly robbing the Key Bank on Harmony Drive in McCandless.
Police said he entered and demanded money, and although he did not show a weapon, he said that he had one. Acierno reportedly left the scene and was arrested after being spotted on Interstate 79.
Acierno then told investigators that he committed four bank robberies, including one at the Cranberry PNC. Investigators said he gave them specific details of the incident and identified himself in surveillance video.
For the McCandless robbery, Acierno is charged with felony robbery and receiving stolen property and misdemeanor fleeing or attempting to elude police. He is being held in Allegheny County Jail on $250,000 monetary bond pending a March 13 preliminary hearing.
