Police, FBI arrest two men, teen in bank robbery

DAYTON — Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation officers arrested two men and a juvenile Wednesday evening, Dec. 10, in connection with the Tuesday robbery of a National City Bank branch at 4389 W. Third St. in the Westown Shopping Center.
The man believed to be the robber who entered the bank is Tony Thomas Jr., 21, of Dayton, according to Lt. Patrick Welsh, commander of the Dayton police central investigation bureau.

Welsh said Lt. John Bardun and officers from his units gathered information that led them to connect Thomas' name to the National City robbery. The officers put together a photo array including a picture of Thomas, and several eyewitnesses positively identified him as the robber.

Police and FBI agents arrested Thomas at a residence on Germantown Street at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. He has been charged with one count of robbery with physical harm.

After further investigation, Welsh said officers went to an address on Gettysburg Avenue and arrested Shawn Clay, 28, and a juvenile. A police incident report said the juvenile was a 16-year-old boy.

Welsh said Clay was booked into the Montgomery County jail on charges of robbery, probation violation and several traffic offenses, and the juvenile was taken to the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center.

Welsh said investigators believe Clay and the juvenile were involved in casing the bank prior to the robbery and in transporting Thomas to and from the site.

The charge is the first for Thomas in Montgomery County, according to court records. Clay has been arrested at least 20 times for a variety of offenses and convicted twice, of theft in 2004 and carrying concealed weapons, loaded and ready at hand, in 2007. The 2007 conviction came with a sentence of five years of community control.

Dayton experienced four bank robberies in six days culminating in the 5 p.m. Tuesday robbery at the Westown National City branch. Trey M. Geter, Jeremy E. Lewis and Johnny D. Wilkerson were arrested earlier in connection with the Dec. 4 robbery of the KeyBank branch at 4000 Linden Ave. Each man faces three counts of robbery and discharging a firearm.

Welsh said Dayton police and the FBI are continuing their investigation to determine if any of the six arrested so far were involved in the other two robberies, which currently remain unsolved.