The reach and reward of social media proved itself in apparently helping solve a bank heist in downtown Butler Tuesday morning.

Just minutes after surveillance photos from the robbery at the Citizens Bank branch at 301 N. Main St. were posted on the city police department’s Facebook page, followers by the flock forwarded the suspect’s name.

Only five hours after the brazen crime, police obtained an arrest warrant for 32-year-old Cyrus V. Smith of Butler Township.

And by midnight, with more than an hour to spare, police had their man in handcuffs, arresting him at a Butler Township motel.

On him and in his room at the Super 8 on Route 8 south, Smith had hundreds of dollars in currency, possibly a portion of the more than $3,000 he allegedly stole from the bank, police said.

His room also was littered with empty bags of suspected heroin, syringes, a crack cocaine pipe and other contraband.

Closing the case in lightning speed, said Butler police Capt. David Dalcamo, was part “help from the general public” and part “good police work.”

Following his arrest about 10:30 p.m., Smith was placed in Butler County Prison to await arraignment on a charge of robbery.

Police began their investigation after a man walked into the bank at 10:07 a.m. and approached a teller with a handwritten “demand note” instructing the employee to turn over currency.

The robber, wearing sunglasses and a Pittsburgh Steelers ball cap, brought with him a plastic shopping bag to carry out the loot.

The note — written on an envelope — advised the teller: “Empty out drawer. No alarms. I don’t wanna hurt you. I have a gun,” according to court documents.

The suspect handed the teller the plastic bag. The teller placed several stacks of currency in it and returned it to the robber, who left with the money, later determined to be $3,095.

Whether intentional or not, the man left the note behind. But even before the note could be studied or checked for fingerprints, police had the name of a suspect, investigators said.

Dalcamo wasted no time uploading the photos from the surveillance video onto the police department’s Facebook page.

The posting prompted “numerous calls” to police, naming Smith as the man in the still photos.

Dalcamo searched the suspect’s own Facebook page for more clues. He learned Smith worked for United Plate Glass in Connoquennesing Township, where he has been a production employee since 2014.

Joyce Cully, the company’s controller, informed police that Smith had punched in at work at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday. He punched out at 8:30 a.m.

Cully provided police with photos of Smith taken from the company’s surveillance system. The photos resembled the robber, Dalcamo said.

Police showed a photo lineup to the teller, who identified Smith as the robber, documents said.

Dalcamo went to Smith’s home in the 200 block of Homewood Drive. But instead of finding the suspect, Dalcamo only found Smith’s mother.

She told the officer that she believed her son was at work. Dalcamo showed her photos of the robber from the bank’s security video.

“(Smith’s mother) stated that she agreed that the person in the photographs was her son Cyrus Smith,” according to a police affidavit.

The woman later tried to call and text her son, with Dalcamo still at the home. The suspect did not reply.

District Judge Pete Shaffer about 3 p.m. signed an arrest warrant for Smith on a charge of robbery.

The manhunt was on while Dalcamo continued to pursue leads and work his sources.

Later that night, a tip called in to desk officer Cheryl Litz led police to the Super 8. Four city officers and four township officers converged on the motel about 10:15 p.m.

In the lobby, police came upon a woman, who they learned had used her name to rent a room for Smith on the third floor. Police described the woman as an acquaintance of the defendant.

She accompanied officers to the room and handed over the key. Officers opened the door and found Smith.

“He was surprised,” Dalcamo said. But he put up no fight.

Investigators were not sure why Smith decided to allegedly rob the bank.

“I don’t know what his motive was,” Dalcamo said. “But that’s a question I’d pose if I talk to him.”

Dalcamo acknowledged that it was not known this morning if the FBI could take over the case or if Butler police would keep it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will make the final call.

Meanwhile, Culley said co-workers at United Plate Glass were shocked by the allegations against Smith.

“He’s a really good, hard worker,” she said. “He’s a polite and nice guy.”

Co-workers, she added, were aware that Smith had a criminal past and personal problems.

Butler County court records showed that Smith has convictions in seven previous criminal cases between 2005 and 2014, including three for drunken driving, two for possession of drug paraphernalia and one each for simple assault and corruption of minors.

Culley said she wasn’t aware of the bank robbery photos circulating on the Internet until after police contacted her.

“He was wearing the same clothes he wore to work,” she said.

Butler Eagle staff writer Kim Paskorz contributed to this report.