St. Charles bank robbed for second time

Authorities are investigating whether a Saturday bank robbery in St. Charles is connected to a robbery at the same location in April.

The FBI has identified the suspect in the earlier robbery at TCF Bank, 652 Kirk Road, as the so-called Einstein Bandit, who is wanted for questioning in at least seven area bank jobs over the past two years.

On Saturday, a man matching the Einstein Bandit's physical description went to the same east-side branch, located inside a Jewel-Osco, and handed the teller a note demanding money before fleeing with an undisclosed sum. No one was hurt.

"A weapon was implied," St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said. "The weapon was not displayed."

Frank Bochte, spokesman for the FBI's Chicago office, said investigators Monday were reviewing surveillance video from the latest robbery.

"At this point, it's too early to tell" if there's a connection, Bochte said. "Any possible link to any other unsolved bank robbery will be looked at."

McCurtain said just one teller was on duty and only a few customers were in the grocery store when the robbery took place shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday. The robber fled through a south exit.

The suspect was described as African-American with a dark complexion. He appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s, standing about 6 feet tall and weighing 200 to 240 pounds, police said. He wore a white baseball cap with a blue bill, yellow tinted sunglasses, dark-colored pants and a gray, hooded sweatshirt over a black sweatshirt.

In the April robbery, a black man also about 6 feet tall and 230 to 240 pounds robbed the bank by handing the teller a note and showing a handgun in his waistband. That suspect also was described as being in his 30s, wearing a ball cap, hooded sweatshirt and glasses, police said.

Bochte said police were still investigating whether Saturday's robber had an "E=mc2" logo on his hat or shirt, as the Einstein Bandit has.

Anyone with information is asked to call St. Charles Detective Cmdr. Jerry Gatlin at (630) 443-3739 or the FBI at (312) 421-6700.