ICYMI: Two Bethany Men Arrested Five Days After Bank Robbed

Editor’s note: This article originally was published Thursday on Bethwood Patch. We’re republishing it here in case you missed it:

Two Bethany men, ages 31 and 26, have been arrested by state police on an accusation they robbed the Webster Bank branch located at 696 Amity Rd. last Saturday.

Thomas Yorkshaitis Jr., 31, of 8 Beacon Rd. and Nicholas Yorkshaitis, 26, of 938 Litchfield Tpk. were each charged with crimes related to the robbery, which took place shortly before 11:25 a.m., Saturday, when the robbery was reported to Troop I in Bethany.

State police said that descriptions and video surveillance images released to the public on Saturday resulted in tips that led to the men, who were arrested Sunday, March 22, on separate narcotics-related charges.

“Within hours of releasing the suspect’s description via the media on the night of the robbery, [...] investigators received numerous tips that directly contributed to identifying the suspect,” according to a state police news release issued Thursday afternoon.

While the two were held on those charges, state police applied for and received approval for arrest warrants on Wednesday charging the men with the bank robbery. Milford police helped state police in arresting Thomas Yorshaitis Jr. at a motel in that town, state police said.

State police had released pictures of the man who robbed the bank and gave the public a very particular description of him that wouldn’t fit too many people: about 5 feet, 10 inches in height, 220 lbs., with reddish blonde hair, visible tattoos on his hands — and he seemed to be missing part of his left index finger.

Police said the man demanded money from a bank teller (although he didn’t show anyone a gun), then left the bank and got into a nearby vehicle, thought to be a gray or silver Nissan Cube. The vehicle was last seen heading north on Amity Road toward Naugatuck. No one was injured in the incident.

The State Police Central District Major Crimes Squad served the arrest warrants charging Thomas Yorkshaitis with second-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery and third-degree larceny. He has been held on $200,000 in connection with the robbery.

Nicholas Yorkshaitis has been held on $100,000 bond in connection with charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny. Each of the men is scheduled to appear Friday in state Superior Court in New Haven.

Photo: A surveillance image released by state police of the suspected bank robber