Police say same man may have robbed multiple banks
By Catie Foertsch Community Reporter

The man who allegedly robbed the Citizen's Bank on Lyman Street in Stop and Shop Aug. 5

Westborough - The man who robbed the Citizen's Bank in the Stop and Shop store on Lyman Street Aug. 5 may very well be the same man who robbed the Digital Federal Credit Union branch in the same shopping center July 26, Police Chief Alan Gordon said.

Gordon has asked that residents keep their eyes open and report any unusually-dressed customers at local banks.

"It's happened twice in two weeks," Gordon said. "Obviously there's a good chance it will happen again."

The Aug. 5 robbery happened at about noon, when a white male about 30 or 40 years old and wearing a green baseball cap, long-sleeved T-shirt and sunglasses walked up to the Citizen's Bank counter, handed the teller a note and told her he was armed. According to police, the man did not show a weapon. There were no injuries, and the man escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

The July 26 robbery happened at 1:55 p.m., and police described the suspect as a white male 25 to 30 years old of average build wearing white sneakers, jeans, a blue or gray long-sleeved shirt, a brimmed hat and sunglasses. No weapon was shown during that robbery, an undisclosed amount of cash was taken, and no injuries were reported.

The man who allegedly robbed the DCU branch on Lyman Street July 26

The weather on the days of both robberies was very hot, and Gordon said the robber may have been wearing long sleeves to hide identifying marks, such as a tattoo or needle tracks. Drug addiction may be a factor, he said.

During both robberies there were several people in the banks, and "somebody had to see something," Gordon said. But, he added, Westborough does not have many bank robberies and people are not expecting a robbery when they do their banking.

Gordon asked that residents be aware that another robbery might occur, and if they see anything suspicious, such as a man wearing sunglasses, a hat and a long-sleeved shirt on a very hot day walk into a bank, that they call police. He also asked that if they do see someone suspicious, they try to get a vehicle license plate number.

"Something like that would certainly help us," he said.

The surveillance camera photo of the July 26 robber looks very similar to another photo, taken by a bank security camera during a robbery in Lincoln, R.I., in June, Gordon said.

Photos of the robbers have been posted on the Westborough Police Department Web site at www.westboroughpolice. com.