Feds Charge Blue Island Man With Bank Robbery
(STMW) -- A Blue Island man suspected of robbing five banks on the South Side and in the south suburbs is in custody facing federal charges.
A break in the case came after Michael Newson tried to escape down a dead-end street after a heist in Calumet City -- forcing him to turn around and drive back past the bank and allowing the teller he allegedly robbed to spot his license plate, according to a federal criminal complaint.
That robbery, at a Charter One Bank branch at 1400 Torrence Ave., happened at 10:17 a.m. June 18, authorites said. Newson allegedly passed a note to the teller that said "I want 100s and $50 bills or you will be shot."
Newson also read aloud what was written down, and made off with $2,900, the complaint said. The cash also included a dye pack that went off in the parking lot as he left, authorities said.
The license plate of the alleged getaway vehicle led back to Newson, whom authorities identified using surveillance video compared to his driver's license photo and a recent booking photo from Chicago Police, the complaint said.
The teller and a witness from the Charter One Bank branch also positively identified him in a photo lineup, authorities claim.
He is suspected of robbing four other banks since the beginning of June, according to the FBI. Those include:
• the U.S. Bank branch at 11159 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago on June 9,
• the South Division Credit Union at 9122 S. Kedzie Ave. in Evergreen Park on June 12,
• the PNC Bank branch at 10701 S. Western Ave. on June 17,
• and the Chase Bank at 3480 W. 183rd St. in Hazel Crest on June 19.
He faces one count of bank robbery for the Calumet City incident, FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde said.
Newson, of the 200 block of West 107th Street in Blue Island, remains in federal custody and will next appear in court Friday, Hyde said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)