Elgin man charged in a string of robberies, including Chase bank robbery

An Elgin man accused in a string of robberies, including a bank robbery and an attempted bank robbery, was arrested at his home this week and now is facing charges, officials said.

Matthew A. Bernat, 42, is charged with aggravated robbery, burglary, robbery, retail theft, attempted robbery, and theft under $500, according to a news release from the Elgin Police Department.

Elgin police and the FBI responded to a robbery about 4:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at Chase Bank, 1600 Larkin Ave. A few days later, an Elgin detective identified Bernat as a suspect, according to the release.

Through further investigation, police determined Bernat also was a suspect in six other Elgin cases, including an attempted bank robbery on Aug. 31 at Elgin State Bank, 50 Tyler Creek Plaza, the release stated.

Due to the number of cases Bernat has pending within Elgin's jurisdiction, he is being charged through the state rather than federally. He appeared in Kane County bond court Thursday morning where bail was set at $500,000; he'd need to post $50,000 bond to be released while awaiting trial.