GREENSBORO — Three suspected bank robbers caught in Laurinburg are now facing federal charges in connection with the October heist in Richmond County.
A federal grand jury on Monday indicted 23-year-old Benjamin James Mooneyhan, 24-year-old Alexander Robeck Martin and 28-year-old Jesse Lee Hood for allegedly taking “by force and violence and by intimidation…the approximate sum of $2,307” from an employee of Fidelity Bank, according to documents released by U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina Ripley Rand’s office.
According to Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly, a lone man walked into Fidelity Bank on East Broad Street around 11:30 a.m. Oct. 4 and demanded money from a teller.
Kelly said the man suggested he had a weapon, but one was never displayed. He added that no one was injured in the robbery.
He then left the bank with a then-undisclosed amount of cash and left in a sliver Dodge Stratus, the chief said.
Two suspects were caught in Scotland County near the Pizza Hut on U.S. 15-401 in Laurinburg.
Another ran and was later apprehended after a 90-minute search of the woods between the restaurant and McKenzie Supply. Nearly a dozen law enforcement vehicles, along with a K-9 unit and a fire engine, were at the scene. A helicopter could also be seen surveying the woods.
Signs were posted at the bank announcing that it was closed for the rest of the day “due to an emergency,” and directed customers to branches in Aberdeen and Candor.
The defendants could face a fine, up to 20 years in prison, or both, according to U.S. Code.
The three are still in the Richmond County Jail.
Both Martin and Hood are from Goldsboro; Mooneyhan is from Selma.
Local records have Martin’s first name as “Alexandra” and Hood’s first name as “Jessie.” Mooneyhan, whose last name is spelled “Monneyhan” in local records, was 22 when initially charged.
The only one currently showing up on online state court records is Hood.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Reach William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_toler.
