Michigan man indicted, accused of robbing banks in West Toledo, Michigan

A Michigan man accused of holding up banks in West Toledo, Monroe, and Howell, Mich. has been indicted on three armed bank robbery charges in U.S. District Court in Toledo and Detroit.

Kenneth Kniivila, 35, of Howell, Mich., is accused of robbing the Huntington National Bank branch, 4105 Talmadge Rd., about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16. At about 2:30 p.m. the same day, prosecutors say he robbed a Fifth Third Bank branch on North Telegraph Road in Monroe. He is also accused of robbing a Bank of America branch on Jan. 11 in Howell, Mich., some 60 miles west of Detroit.

U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Toledo.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Mr. Kniivila was identified after images of his face were distributed to the media. After his arrest, he admitted he held up the bank in Howell after giving a teller a note that said, “Give me all the money.” He got away with $4,000 to $6,000.

He told FBI agents he “lost his marbles” Jan. 16 and drove to Toledo to find a bank to rob.

At the Huntington Bank, the robber presented a gun and told the teller to give him money. The teller placed cash in a black backpack he presented along with a dye pack that exploded shortly after he left. According to the affidavit, the robber dropped the bag, leaving behind the dye-stained money and a black pellet gun.

About 2:30 p.m. the same day, Mr. Kniivila said he went to the bank in Monroe where he handed a note to the teller that said he had a gun and would “end your life” if the teller placed a dye pack with the cash. “I have nothing to loose, Im sure U do,” the note read.

Mr. Kniivila is being held in Michigan, but Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, said prosecutors in Toledo were coordinating with Michigan authorities and could possibly work out a global resolution of the cases.

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.