Clinton Police Work Aids in Apprehension of Alleged Bank Robber

Kenneth Buckingham, a 50-year-old man wanted in connection with three local bank robberies, was arrested Thursday, June 29 according to The Midddletown Press. He is being charged with robberies that took place at a Liberty Bank in Haddam (March 1), a TD Bank in Durham (April 16), and most recently, a First Niagara in Westbrook on May 20.

According to Buckingham's parole officer Raymond Belval, who came to a Clinton Police Commissioner's meeting last week, Clinton Police work helped place Buckingham in the vicinity of the Westbrook Bank the same day it was robbed. 

Belval usually meets his parolee's at Clinton PD every Monday afternoon, and did so on May 20. According to Sgt. Jerry Dunn of the Clinton Police, Belval inquired as to why Clinton PD ran a plate earlier in the day on a car that belonged to one of his parolee’s name Kenneth Buckingham

The parole officer spoke to Cpl. Natasha Pucillo and Sgt. Dunn, and they determined that an officer from Clinton PD ran the plate while performing routine motor vehicle checks on the day shift, police say.

Belval then told Cpl. Pucillo and Sgt. Dunn that Buckingham was on parole for "bank robberies," and both Clinton PD members told Belval that a bank had been robbed earlier that day in Westbrook. 

"Belval then described Buckingham as a short stocky white male in his late 40’s," Sgt. Dunn said in an email to Patch. "He then showed us a recent picture that he had taken of Buckingham."

Sgt. Dunn said he then made a routine search and spotted a surveillance photo given to the media at the time of the Westbrook robbery.

"There were significant similarities of the suspect in the media photo  compared to the photo that Belval showed us," Dunn continued in the email. "Both Cpl. Pucillo and I thought right away Buckingham may in fact be the Westbrook Bank robber."

"Cpl. Pucillo then immediately contacted State Police detectives and provided them with the information including the photo Belval provided to Clinton PD," Dunn continued.

"Belval then worked with State Police detectives and ultimately concluded that Buckingham was the Westbrook bank robber, in addition to being a charged with several other area bank robberies as well," Dunn stated.

Police have now charged Buckingham with three counts of first-degree robbery, three counts of third-degree larceny and three counts of second-degree threatening. His bond is set at $450,000 and he is next set to apear in court on July 23.