Man Accused of Robbing Lemont Bank Pleads Not Guilty

The man accused of last month pleaded not guilty to felony robbery charges during an arraignment hearing Thursday.

Gerald C. Tysko, a 33-year-old homeless man who police describe as a "serial bank robber," remains in Cook County jail on a $250,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to robbery of a financial institution and aggravated robbery during a short hearing at the Cook County courthouse in Bridgeview.

Tysko is accused of robbing , 1201 State St., on Dec. 13.

That night, bank employees reported that a man wearing a dark jacket, camouflage pants, a dark ski hat and dark gloves handed a note to a teller demanding money, police said.

After the man implied he had a weapon, the teller complied and the man fled the bank, according to police.

Once the suspect was identified as Tysko, numerous sightings were reported in Lemont, which yielded several leads, police said. He was eventually tracked to the Cloud Nine Motel, 8440 South Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview.

No one was injured in the robbery, and Tysko was unarmed at the time of his arrest, police said.

Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy confirmed that Tysko called a cab from a Lemont bar following the bank robbery. Police contacted the cab company shortly after the incident, and were able to track Tysko's cab to the Bridgeview motel.

According to Shaughnessy, Tysko has a previous conviction for a 2007 robbery in which he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Tysko will next appear in court Jan. 25 for a status hearing.