Twinsburg: Police catch Streetsboro bank robbery suspect

TWINSBURG -- Police here quickly caught the man that Streetsboro police say entered the First Merit Bank branch at 9717 State Route 14 in Streetsboro about 10 a.m. Thursday and passed a note to a teller, demanding money or he would shoot her.

No other customers were present in the bank at the time of the incident, and a weapon was not seen.

The suspect then left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and was observed driving a dark in color Ford Escort. A bank employee also got the license number of the Escort.

The suspect's vehicle was seen minutes later on Interstate 480 in Twinsburg shortly after the vehicle description was broadcast to other police departments and was stopped by Twinsburg police units.

The driver matched the description of the robbery suspect and a loaded .38 revolver, along with an undisclosed amount of cash, was located in a bag in his car.

A dye pack concealed in the stolen money had gone off as well.

Police have arrested and charged John H. Ford, 35, of Cleveland, with one count of aggravated robbery.

Ford is also now a suspect in at least two other bank robberies in Akron and Stow.

Streetsboro police are working with Stow police, as well as investigators from the FBI's Akron Office and the Portage County Prosecutors Office, to coordinate further federal charges against Ford.