PENDLETON — Authorities believe a man indicted on federal charges connected to a pair of southern Indiana bank robberies is responsible for a string of others, including the December robbery of a Pendleton bank.
A federal grand jury indicted Charles E. Miller II, 49, Elberfeld, Ind., on April 23 on two counts of bank robbery and a third count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
Miller is accused of robbing an Integra Bank branch in Winslow on April 17, and Fifth Third Bank branch in Haubstadt on Feb. 17. He is currently being held in the Henderson County, Ky., Jail.
Pendleton Police Chief Marc Farrer said in a news release on Tuesday that FBI agents investigating the case believe Miller is responsible for robbing M & I Bank, 115 W. State St., Pendleton, on Dec. 16.
In that robbery, a white male wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and wearing a mask or piece of clothing over his face robbed the bank while armed with a handgun. The man was able to escape with an undisclosed amount of money.
Farrer said Miller was apprehended shortly after the bank robbery in Winslow, a town of about 900 in southern Indiana’s Pike County. A witness was able to provide a description of the robber’s vehicle and Miller was taken into custody.
Farrer said federal investigators will spend the coming weeks trying to determine if Miller is responsible for the other robberies. Miller has not been indicted in connection with those holdups.
“It’s possible they might add those indictments,” Farrer said. “Or, they may seek to use that information for a plea agreement.”
Elberfeld, where Miller lives, is a town of 650 about 15 miles north of Evansville. Haubstadt is a town of 1,500 about five miles west of Elberfeld.
If convicted, Miller faces up to 25 years in prison for each bank robbery charge. The charge of using a firearm during a violent crime is punishable by life imprisonment, U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison said in a news release.
Contact Shawn McGrath: 640-4883, shawn.mcgrath@heraldbulletin.com
The robberies
• Dec. 10: Owen Community Bank, 279 E. Morgan St., Spencer
• Dec. 15: First Financial Bank, 101 W. Washington St., Hartford City
• Dec. 16: M & I Bank, 115 W. State St., Pendleton
• Jan. 7: First Merchants Bank, 107 W. Union St., Liberty
• Jan. 13: First Financial Bank, 327 N. Main St., Rushville
• Feb. 4: U.S. Bank, 120 W. Main St., Hagerstown
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