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Bloomington Police arrest bank robbery suspect

BLOOMINGTON — A Bloomington man is in custody after police say he robbed a bank last week.

Charles Strevels, 44, has been charged with robbery, a Level 5 felony. According to Bloomington police, Strevels contacted the lead detective on the case Wednesday morning and said he wanted to turn himself in.

Officers arrested Strevels near Bloomfield Road and Patterson Drive.

Shortly before noon on Sept. 24, officers responded to a silent emergency alarm triggered by a bank teller at the Jackson County Bank on South Walnut Street.

Police said the suspect, later identified as Strevels, wore a face covering during the robbery and handed a note to the teller demanding money. After receiving the cash, Strevels ran off.

Bloomington High School South and Templeton Elementary School were placed on lockdown following the robbery. The lockdowns were lifted later, and students were dismissed at the usual time.

Police discovered a path behind the bank leading to Timber Ridge Apartments. Surveillance footage helped detectives identify a car possibly involved in the incident.

Using license plate readers, investigators traced the vehicle to the bank’s vicinity at the time of the robbery. Police stopped the car on Sept. 26, but Strevels was not inside. Officers later searched his home but did not find him there. A judge issued an arrest warrant the next day.

If convicted, Strevels faces a sentence of one to six years for the Level 5 felony, according to Indiana sentencing guidelines.