The FBI and Rochester Police say they’ve arrested Joseph Peeples III of Rochester with last week’s robbery of the Chase Bank branch on South Clinton Avenue downtown.
They say Peeples took nearly $110,000 when he entered the bank at opening time Thursday morning and asked for a manager. He gave the manager a note demanding money from the vault and saying “nobody dies today” if everyone cooperated. Peeples then filled a bag with bundles of five, ten. 50 and $100 bills.
Surveillance cameras picked him up getting into a cab outside the Hyatt Hotel after fleeing the bank. He went to the Trailways Bus station, leaving his jacket and $10,000 in the cab. He changed clothes at the bus station, leaving more than $43,000 in the men’s room trash can.
People’s then checked in at a Rochester motel, stayed an hour, went back to the bus station and bought a ticket for New York City. He got off in Binghamton and checked into a hotel there, where police caught up with him and the remaining $50,000.
Nearly all the money has been recovered and Peeples will be in court later this week.