NEW HAMPTON, NH- Four Lakes Region men have been charged in connection with the Feb. 23 robbery of the Franklin Savings Bank in New Hampton in which the armed robber made his getaway on a snowmobile.
According to a criminal complaint issued Thursday by the U.S. District Court in Concord, Corey Donovan, 24, his brother Micah Donovan, 22 — both of Laconia — as well as Ian Burns, 22, of Gilmanton, and Jay Lawrence, 43, of Meredith, allegedly conspired to rob the bank's branch office on Route 104.
Corey Donovan was the alleged robber, while Micah Donovan, Burns and others who weren't named in the complaint served as "lookouts" and helped him hide the snowmobile, authorities said. Lawrence allegedly permitted the snowmobile to be hidden on his property and assisted in destroying evidence.
The Donovans and Burns were also charged with using a firearm in the robbery, while Lawrence was also charged with being an accessory after the fact.
If convicted, the men, who were arrested Thursday and have additional legal hearings scheduled for May 16, each face up to 25 years in federal prison.
In an affidavit, FBI Special Agent Brian Keefe wrote that Corey Donovan, armed with a Kel-Tech Sub 2000 folding carbine rifle and wearing green camouflage clothing, black gloves, and a black, full-face snowmobile helmet, entered the bank around 1:08 p.m.
Donovan pointed the weapon at the female tellers and demanded they place money into a blue-colored backpack. He left the bank with approximately $10,000 cash and is believed to have left the area on a red snowmobile that witnesses had seen parked behind the bank before the robbery.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officers followed the track of the snowmobile, later finding an indentation in a snow bank that appeared to be from the rear bumper of a vehicle. Subsequently, two witnesses told authorities that the snowmobile was loaded into a van owned and operated by one of them and taken to Lawrence's residence in a Meredith trailer park, according to Keefe.
An anonymous caller notified the Belknap County Sheriff's Department on Feb. 27 about details of the robbery that he had overheard. That same day, the FBI and New Hampshire State Police interviewed a man who believed four people were involved in the robbery, three of whom he knew by name, according to the affidavit.
The caller said he first heard Donovan discussing the bank robbery on Feb. 21, adding that several hours after the crime, he received a call from Lawrence who told him that Donovan had given him $1,000 as his share for participating in the robbery, and said Lawrence was going to use the money to pay off court-ordered child support.
Meanwhile, the two confidential witnesses told authorities that Corey Donovan drove to the robbery and fled from the robbery on a snowmobile, and that after the robbery, the snowmobile was loaded into a van, Keefe wrote.
Authorities on March 6 traced the rifle Donovan brandished in the robbery to Burns, who bought it on July 26, 2006 at Abe's Awesome Armaments, which is located just about two miles north of the bank on Route 104 in New Hampton.
Three days earlier, police had executed a warrant for Donovan's arrest at his Pleasant Street apartment in Laconia for an assault unrelated to the bank robbery. A standoff ensued as officers were initially unable to locate Donovan in the home.
Following Donovan's arrest — he was subsequently convicted of assault and sentenced to 12 months in the Belknap County Jail and ordered to pay $3,800 in medical bills incurred by his victim — police executed a search warrant for his basement apartment and found a camouflage ballistic vest, a full-face helmet with a clear visor; a duffle bag containing green camouflage clothing and black gloves; and two pair of men's work boots.
Authorities also recovered $440 in $20 bills from Donovan.
New Hampton Police Chief Nathaniel Sawyer praised what he called the "phenomenal cooperation" his agency got from the FBI, NH State Police, Fish and Game and Gilmanton Police.
c. 2007 George J. Foster Co.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops