Charges elevated in armed bank robbery

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Miguel A. Jones, black shirt, is led into the Dukes County Courthouse at his earlier arraignment. He will now face additional charges. — Dena Porter

An Edgartown man who pleaded not guilty to being an accomplice after the fact to an armed bank robbery at Rockland Trust two weeks ago will face charges that he was involved in the heist.

According to the court docket posted at Edgartown District Court Thursday morning, Miquel A. Jones, 30, was scheduled to be arraigned on charges of armed and masked robbery and conspiracy. The arraignment on the new charges was postponed until Dec. 16.

The charges are identical to those that will be sought against Omar Johnson, 39, of Canterbury, New Hampshire, who was picked up in New Haven, Conn. Johnson is due in Edgartown District Court Friday morning after he waived extradition to Massachusetts. He is held on $250,000 bail.

Both men are listed on court documents as Jamaican nationals. Jones worked on the Island as a landscaper.

Jones, who is being held on $300,000 bail, was taken into custody on Nov. 19, after having been stopped and questioned the previous night. The Times was the first to report that a person of interest in the robbery had been stopped and questioned by police. 

Three masked suspects wearing dark clothing and white Halloween masks rushed two bank employees as they opened the Rockland Trust branch at 8:15 am, according to police at the scene and court records. The employees were tied up with plastic ties and duct tape. An SUV belonging to one of the employees was stolen and ditched at a parking lot near the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.

According to a report in the Boston Globe citing a police report that is no longer public, two men allegedly parked a car in Vineyard Haven on Nov. 17 (the day of the robbery), paid cash for ferry tickets at 9 am at the terminal, and later boarded a ferry at 9:21 am. The Globe reported that a car with similarities to the Elantra driven by Jones later dropped off another man. That man, per the Globe article, appeared to drive the car left behind by the two departed men over to the SSA terminal. The man subsequently departed, ostensibly in the car, on a 12:24 pm ferry. The ticket was allegedly paid for with a card belonging to Jones, the Globe reported.

An active investigation continues for a third suspect with local police joined by State Police and the FBI.

4 COMMENTS

    • The 1st arrested was a regular seasonal landscape employee on MV.
      2nd was resident of New Hampshire.
      Very glad that they were captured and in jail.

    • Why does this question keep coming up?
      As pointed out the answer is in the story.
      But I don’t understand what difference the immigration status makes.
      Someone please help me understand.

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