FBI: Residents helped nab bank robber
A Naperville man has been charged in connection with an Aurora bank robbery in which witnesses tailed the fleeing suspect, FBI officials said Tuesday.
Dana Andrew Dorcas, 23, of 2535 Eldorado Lane, was charged in U.S. District Court with one count of felony bank robbery for allegedly stealing $3,140 Sunday from the TCF Bank inside the Jewel Food Store at 1157 N. Eola Road.
Dorcas allegedly entered the bank about 4:25 p.m. wearing sunglasses, a tan sweatshirt and dark scarf that drew the attention of the teller due to the warm weather, according to a sworn affidavit by FBI Special Agent Larry Lapp.
Authorities said Dorcas handed the teller a note that read, "Don't scream. Don't panic. Don't shout. Don't do anything to attract attention. You won't get hurt." He asked the teller to fill a fast-food bag with money.
"(There was an) implication of a weapon but he didn't state he had a weapon," FBI Special Agent Tom Simon said Tuesday. "He didn't show a weapon nor was a weapon recovered."
Upon leaving the store, two witnesses in the parking lot saw Dorcas trying to conceal the bag under his sweatshirt and thought he was a shoplifter, according to the criminal complaint.
As Dorcas drove away, the pair wrote down the license number of his gray Nissan Altima and followed him in their own vehicle.
After driving through a neighborhood, Dorcas headed back in the direction of the store. The witnesses following him spotted a police car in the parking lot and stopped to give the officer Dorcas' description and license plate number.
Aurora police determined the car was registered to Dorcas and contacted Naperville authorities who sent their own officer to the suspect's home.
At 4:50 p.m. Dorcas returned home where he was met by police who detained him. The two witnesses identified Dorcas as the man they saw leaving Jewel. The teller was not able to identify him because his face was covered during the robbery.
Upon searching Dorcas' car, police found clothing matching the description of the robber, $2,660 in cash and a large television Dorcas later said he purchased that day from a pawn shop for $450.
Officers took Dorcas to the Aurora Police Department for questioning where he admitted to FBI officials that he robbed the bank due to financial difficulties, according to the complaint.
Simon credited "on-the-ball citizens" with helping make the arrest and said the cooperation between departments and witnesses was "like an exercise in synchronized swimming, it went off so well."
Dorcas appeared in court Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox and subsequently was released on his own personal recognizance pending future proceedings.