GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Two men with prior felony convictions face federal charges for a Tuesday morning robbery at an Independent Bank in Grand Rapids that netted nearly $4,300.
About $3,000 was found hidden in a mattress and inside a boot, federal court records show.
A criminal complaint names Bo Franklin, 29, and Quincy Jarard Melton, 28, as suspects in the 10:06 a.m. robbery at the Independent branch at 3090 Plainfield Avenue NE near the Int. 96 interchange.
Police recovered cash and a handgun linked to the hold-up. The pair, in custody since Wednesday, were turned over to federal marshals on Friday, April 20.
Melton was released from prison in 2016 after serving time for property crimes in Washtenaw County. His was paroled to Grand Rapids and was living on the Northwest Side.
Franklin, who also lists a Grand Rapids address, has prior convictions and served time in prison for unarmed robbery.
The two have known each other for many years; they are listed as co-defendants in several break-ins from 2004, court records show.
Details of Tuesday’s bank robbery are spelled out in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.
Bank employees told investigators that a man wearing a black winter coat with the hood up entered the bank with a large handgun. He told a teller: “Ma'am, give me all your money,'' according to the criminal complaint.
The teller took approximately $4,285 from her top teller drawer, including bait bills, which she handed to the gunman. The suspect dropped some of the money on the counter and the bank’s floor as he fled.
A bank employee watched the gunman cross Fuller Avenue and get into the passenger side of what was described as a black BMW with tinted windows and a Michigan license plate, court records show.
A Grand Rapids police detective working on another case spotted a car matching the suspect vehicle, the criminal complaint states.
Melton was behind the wheel when officers conducted a felony traffic stop. A search of his home turned up $1,000 in cash, including bait bills, found inside a boot in Melton’s closet.
A close associate of Melton reviewed surveillance video from the hold-up, telling police the bank robber depicted in the images “looked similar to Melton’s friend, who goes by Bo,’’ court documents show.
A search of Melton’s cellphone indicates he was in contact with Franklin prior to the heist and also searched local news stations for information about the robbery.
A large black revolver-style handgun matching what was described in the robbery was found in a garage at Franklin's home. Approximately $2,000 in cash, including bait bills, was found hidden in Franklin’s mattress, court records show.
Armed bank robbery is punishable by up to 25 years in federal prison and five years on supervised release. Restitution is mandatory.
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