On 10/31/18, Whitehall Police detectives, with the assistance of both the U.S. Marshall Service and the ODRC Adult Parole Authority, arrested Robert Mason, age 42, at 1150 Olney Dr, Columbus, Ohio, in connection with the aggravated robbery that occurred at Huntington National Bank, 4550 E. Broad St., Whitehall, Ohio, on 09/26/18. A search warrant was executed at this location and the getaway vehicle used in the robbery was found. When Mason was taken into custody he had a pocket full of crack cocaine. He was currently on parole for both aggravated robbery and felonious assault. He was just released from prison to parole in May of 2018.
On 9/26/18, at about 1:30 pm an armed, masked suspect, now identified as Robert Mason, entered the Huntington Bank located at 4550 E. Broad St. and jumped over the teller counter. The suspect ordered the teller to the ground and demanded money. During the robbery, the suspect struck two of the employees in the head with the handgun, causing injury to them. The suspect fled the bank with an undetermined amount of money. The tellers were able to include a dye pack with the money, and it exploded as the suspect fled on foot to the east.
On 11/06/18, Robert Mason was formally charged in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio with Bank Robbery. “This is an extremely dangerous individual that returned to inflicting violent crime back on society four months after being released from prison for the same type of crimes,” stated Deputy Chief Dan Kelso, “and once again we see drugs, violence, and theft going hand in hand. All the detectives and agents involved did a great job hunting this individual down and bringing him to justice.”
The investigation is continuing and more charges could be forthcoming in the future.