Federal authorities have in custody a Pontiac man suspected of committing the Sunday, April 4 robbery at the Dixie Highway branch of TCF Bank.
Mark Edward Cook, 36, is being held without bond after a Tuesday, April 27 bond hearing in federal court in Flint. Cook was apprehended in Genesee County Thursday, April 22 while allegedly fleeing a police chase after a bank robbery in Pinconning.
Oakland County Sheriff officials said they have turned over all evidence from the Independence Township robbery to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is pressing charges against Cook.
FBI spokesman Bill Kowalski said formal charges were filed in connection with a bank robbery in Fenton, but agents are compiling evidence from at least six incidents in various communities, including the one in Independence Township.
In the local incident, the suspect handed a teller a note saying he was armed and demanding $6,500 in cash. Although the suspect did not display a gun, the teller handed over $7,000 in cash.
The suspect was caught on the bank’s surveillance camera, but wore a baseball camp, large-framed glasses and what appeared to be a fake beard and mustache. His clothing also included a UAW jacket with the name ‘Dick? on the front, but investigators believe it could have been stolen.
While the FBI is sorting through details, Kowalski said Cook appears to have followed a pattern.
‘There were attempts to disguise in each case,? he said.
Cook was apprehended driving a full-size pickup truck, the kind of vehicle reported to be used in the TCF robbery.
Kowalski said the FBI is evaluating their prosecution options as Cook consults with his attorney. There could be added charges under the current arraignment, or the FBI could choose to drop that complaint and turn all the evidence over to a federal grand jury.
Depending on the extent of the charges, Kowalski estimates a potential prison sentence of between eight and 15 years.