MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio — The recent PNC bank robbery in Chillicothe was just one of several committed by a group of individuals that have since been linked to multiple robberies across central Ohio.
According to the Muskingum County Prosecutors’ Office, the crime spree began on April 11 in Canal Winchester when two suspects entered a bank, handing a teller a note demanding money. The suspects (later identified as James A.R. Jones and Travis Mettler) fled the bank returning to a Lancaster apartment. Lindsay Williams a woman involved in the crime spree, allowed Jones and Mettler to use her vehicle.
Investigators said once the two men returned to the apartment, another woman (later identified as Amber Morrison) was responsible for handling the money stolen in the robberies.
Prosecutors say the bank robbers then drove to Akron to visit one of Jones’ children. Prosecutors say that is when their criminal enterprise began to unravel.
The four suspects, police say, stayed in the Akron area for a few days before purchasing a 2002 Nissan Maxima.
Investigators say as the bandits returned to Lancaster they searched online for the nearest bank in the Zanesville area, but one, that was furthest from the police department.
The two women reportedly dropped off Jones and Mettler at a Zanesville bank where they proceeded to hand the teller a note. Prosecutors say their plan did not work and they left the bank without any money. The criminal team would go on to commit several other robberies including the PNC Bank in Chillicothe.
Detectives John McElhaney and Chris Andrews with the Zanesville Police Department were able to gather surveillance video of the vehicle used in the attempted Zanesville heist and began a search to find it, and the registered owner.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement from Franklin, Ross, Licking, and Muskingum counties combined their efforts to locate the group.
