Aurora man held in Ky. on robbery charges

A 28-year-old Aurora man is being held in Lexington, Ky., charged with his 17th bank robbery Friday and suspected in his 18th, police said.

According to Lexington police, Daniel Vincent is scheduled for a bond hearing Monday, charged with first-degree robbery. By that time, they also expect him to be charged for a second bank robbery, also committed Friday, in Erlanger, Ky.

Police say a man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt entered a First Federal Bank in Lexington just before 11:30 a.m. Friday. and demanded cash.

"He kept his hands in the shirt pocket and implied he had a handgun," said. Lt. Chris VanBrackel. "But he never displayed a weapon."

Police said they got a detailed description of the suspect thanks to the keen eye of the bank manager.

"The manager saw him walking toward the bank and believed he knew what the suspect was about to do," VanBrackel said. "So he was able to give us a good description and tell us what direction he fled in."

The directions led police to northbound Interstate 75 where they eventually caught up with Vincent. He was driving Mercedes SUV on loan from what VanBrackel described as "an Aurora dealership," sparking a 27-mile chase through four Kentucky counties.

"It all ended on Route 62 in Harrison County when he attempted to take a corner on us and lost control," VanBrackel said. "He then took off on foot through a field. But officers caught up to him and he surrendered."

VanBrackel said police don't know what brought Vincent to Kentucky.

Calls placed the Kentucky division of the FBI were not returned Saturday.

According to previously published reports, citing federal court records, Vincent pleaded guilty in 2003 to a 2002 bank robbery in Homewood. He admitted to robbing a total of 16 banks in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.