'Santa Claus' Bank Robber Facing Indictment

LOWELL - A New Hampshire man accused of robbing a Tewksbury TD Bank last December by signing the robbery note "Santa Claus'' is scheduled for a probable-cause hearing next month.

In Lowell District Court on Wednesday, Robert J. Costello, 26, of Manchester, N.H., had his probable-cause hearing postponed until March 20, pending a possible grand-jury indictment. Costello has pleaded not guilty to a charge of unarmed robbery.

Tewksbury police allege in court documents that shortly before 2 p.m. on Dec. 19, Costello walked into the TD Bank at 2345 Main St. and handed the teller a withdrawal slip. The robber wrote on one side that it was a robbery and demanded small bills, no alarms and no trouble.

He signed the other side, "Santa Claus.''

The robber walked out with about $1, 500 in cash, but left the note behind. Police were able to lift a latent fingerprint from the note. The fingerprint and bank surveillance photos were a match for Costello, police allege.

After Costello's arrest at his girlfriend's Tewksbury home, he allegedly told police he was a drug addict who hadn't taken methadone in several days. When he woke the day of the robbery he was "dope sick'' and in need of money and drugs.

Courtesy Photo by Tewksbury Police