Bond set at $200,000 for alleged getaway driver in 2 bank robberies

10/23/2008

Bond was set at $200,000 during an arraignment Thursday morning in Toledo Municipal Court for a man accused of driving the getaway vehicle during two bank robberies within the last week, authorities said.

Damond Randolph, 33, of 3228 Blackstone Drive was charged with two counts of robbery.

According to court documents, Randolph drove Ashley Taylor, 16, of Detroit to two KeyBank branches and instructed her to rob the bank by giving a teller a note demanding money.

The first robbery occurred last Thursday at 3360 Stickney Ave. and the second was Wednesday at 1033 West Sylvania Ave., police said.

From earlier editions of toledoblade.com

A 16-year-old girl and her accomplice, who are accused of robbing two KeyBank branches within a week, were arrested yesterday about two hours after robbing one of them in West Toledo, authorities said.

April Taylor of Detroit is charged with two counts of delinquency in

connection with aggravated robbery. She was being held last night in the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center pending a detention hearing in Juvenile Court, authorities said.

Damond Randolph, 33, of 3228 Blackstone Drive, who is accused of driving the getaway car during both heists, was charged with two counts of robbery, authorities said.

He was being held without bond last night in the county jail pending his arraignment today in Toledo Municipal Court on the robbery charges as well as several pending warrants.

Toledo police Capt. Ray Carroll, head of the investigative services division, said it's unusual for a teenager to rob a bank. "This is atypical."

Sgt. Phil Toney agreed, adding that it also is uncommon that the accused perpetrator is female.

Nationwide, 553 females robbed banks in 2006 compared with 8,329 males, according to the most recent data available from the FBI.

The Taylor youth, wearing a dark-colored jacket and multi-colored baseball hat, walked into the bank at 1033 West Sylvania Ave. about 11:30 a.m. yesterday and gave the teller a note demanding money, police said.

After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, she fled out a rear door to a waiting vehicle driven by Randolph, police said.

A bank employee who was returning to work noticed the suspect's suspicious behavior, so she followed the car, got a license plate number, and then called police, Sergeant Toney said.

The suspects were arrested about 1:15 p.m. at the Blackstone address, where money believed to be from the robbery was found, the sergeant said.

The duo also is accused of robbing the KeyBank branch at 3360 Stickney Ave. about noon last Thursday.

The teenager, wearing a baseball hat and jacket similar to the one she wore during yesterday's robbery, handed the teller a note, was given an undisclosed amount of cash, and fled in a vehicle driven by Randolph, police said.

According to court documents, Randolph drove the Taylor girl to the bank both times and instructed her to rob the bank by giving a teller a note demanding money.

Contact Laren Weber at:

lweber@theblade.com

or 419-724-6050.