A fourth man has been charged in connection with the Rockland Trust Bank robbery in November.
Tevin Porter, 27, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was indicted by a federal grand jury on armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and aiding and abetting. He had his first hearing before a Connecticut federal court Wednesday and is due back in court on Friday.
“Today, the FBI arrested the fourth member of a crew that is accused of committing a violent armed bank robbery on Martha’s Vineyard, which terrorized innocent bank tellers and bystanders just trying to go about their daily lives,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Porter was with Miquel Jones and Omar Johnson when they allegedly forced their way through the back door of the Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury on Nov. 17.
Authorities say that one of the men held a gun to an employee’s head and made them open the bank’s vault. They then took off with about $39,000, but not before allegedly binding bank employees and stealing one of their cars.
The three men then left the bank and drove to the state forest, according to officials. There they abandoned the car and got into another vehicle. Mr. Porter then allegedly left the Vineyard with Romane Clayton, another man who has been charged in the case.
Mr. Jones and Mr. Clayton received new, superseding indictments in the case as well this week. Mr. Jones is now charged with conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, armed bank robbery and aiding and abetting. Mr. Clayton is charged with bank robbery and aiding and abetting.
Mr. Jones was arrested in November by state police on-Island and was initially arraigned in Edgartown District Court. Mr. Clayton and Mr. Johnson were both arrested in Connecticut. Mr. Johnson was arrested on Nov. 25, and Clayton was arrested on Dec. 9.
