Bank Robbery and Chase Suspect Is Wanted

Bernard Russell

Boone County Jail

(Florence, Ky.) - Two banks in Florence may not have been the first held up by Bernard Russell.

Russell, 47, of Michigan, allegedly robbed the Huntington Bank on Richwood Road and the Central Bank on Turfway Road last Thursday, February 8.

Thanks to a teller who slipped a GPS tracking device into the bag of money Russell fled with, police were able to track him. He then led a wild chase on Interstate 275.

The chase spanned the loop through Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and back to Kentucky at speeds sometime reaching 130 MPH. It ended when Russell crashed his stolen getaway car in the I-275 median near the Mineola Pike exit in Boone County.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Russell is wanted in four other states by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Indianapolis.  Federal charges are being pursued by the United States Attorney Office for the Northern District of Indiana.

He’s suspected of robbing five banks in South Bend, Indiana on January 5; Lansing, Michigan on January 9; Munster, Indiana on January 12; Toledo, Ohio on January 26; and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin on February 7.

Russell has past convictions for receiving stolen property and criminal sexual conduct.

In Boone County, Russell is charged with Robbery 1st Degree, Fleeing or Evading Police 1st Degree, Criminal Mischief 1stDegree, Receiving Stolen Property of $10,000 or More, Receiving Stolen Property Under $10,000, and Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree.

LINKS:

Police Chase Spans Three States, Twice