FORTVILLE — A Fortville man and an Anderson woman were arrested Friday in connection with a recent bank robbery and bomb threat in Fortville.
Matthew Irwin, 30, and Britney Krieg, 20, were being held Friday in the Hancock County Jail without bond. Irwin faces charges of robbery, false informing, intimidation and being a habitual offender. Krieg faces charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, false informing and intimidation.
The charges stem from a bomb threat called in to Mt. Vernon High School and the robbery at the Greenfield Banking Co. branch in Fortville. Both incidents occurred March 13.
Around 10:45 a.m. that day, a bomb threat was called in to the Mt. Vernon High School’s main office. Several law enforcement agencies were called to the school, and students were evacuated. The call came from a Las Vegas area code.
A half-hour later, dispatchers received a call that Greenfield Banking Co., 111 W. Broadway St., had been robbed by a man wearing a fake beard and glasses who handed a teller a note demanding money. Police were immediately suspicious the two events were connected.
Fortville Police Department Lt. Patrick Bratton said officers were able to track the false bomb threat call to the payphone of a Speedway gas station in Anderson. Surveillance footage for the business showed the same man purchasing the fake beard and glasses used in the robbery.
After releasing several images of the suspect, the department received tips that led to the suspects, Bratton said.
“We had overwhelming community support with the tips and just kept following up on them until it led us to our suspects,” Bratton said in a news release. “I appreciate all of the help from the citizens and businesses in both communities.”