Three men have been indicted in connection with the armed bank robbery in November at a Rockland Trust branch on Martha’s Vineyard.

Miquel Antonio Jones, 39, of Edgartown, and Omar Odion Johnson, 32, of Canterbury, New Hampshire, were indicted by a Boston federal grand jury on one count each of armed bank robbery and aiding and abetting, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. Romane Andre Clayton, 21, of Jamaica, was indicted on one count of being an accessory after the fact to armed bank robbery.

Jones, Johnson and Clayton were arrested and charged by criminal complaint in December. Jones and Johnson have been in custody since their arrests, and Clayton was released on conditions, the U.S. attorney’s statement said.

According to charging documents, three armed individuals forced their way into the rear door of the Rockland Trust branch in Tisbury on the morning of Nov. 17. They wore dark colored clothing and white masks that resembled an elderly man with exaggerated facial features.

According to witnesses, they were allegedly carrying what appeared to be semi-automatic handguns. The video surveillance also showed that one of the individuals was carrying what appeared to be a walkie-talkie.

Once inside the bank, one of the individuals allegedly held a gun to the head of a bank employee and forced him to open the bank’s vault, the statement said. Prosecutors alleged that the individuals entered the vault, took approximately $39,100, bound the employees with duct tape and plastic zip ties, demanded access to one of their vehicles, and left the premises in an employee’s car.

A short time after the robbery, the stolen car was located in a parking lot a couple of miles from the bank, the statement said. The individuals allegedly left the parking lot in another vehicle.

During a search of the Tisbury farm used by a local landscaping company that employs Jones, a glove, paper money band, zip tie and multiple rubber band – items consistent with the bank robbery – were recovered, the statement said. Investigators also observed an area that appeared to have had a recent fire and found burned pieces of nylon, white metal plastic consistent with a white mask, burned walkie-talkie pieces, an antennae, batteries and pieces of metal consistent with a duffle bag zipper.

Within a few feet of the burned area two semi-automatic handguns loaded with 9mm ammunition were discovered buried inches under the ground, the statement said. These items, including the handguns, were consistent with items possessed by the robbers during the robbery of the Rockland Trust bank.

Jones, Johnson and Clayton will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

Three Men Indicted for Martha’s Vineyard Bank Robbery

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 2 min
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