MASON — A 22-year-old bank robbery suspect, arrested after he held police at bay for hours at a West Chester business, was charged Friday with robbing the same Mason bank twice.

        Cecil R. Croucher of Amber Court in Mason already was a suspect in the Dec. 8 heist at the First National Bank at 1063 Reading Road. He allegedly returned at 4:15 p.m. Thursday and passed a note to a teller demanding money.

Croucher

        Mason police have charged Mr. Croucher with two counts of robbery.

        Police would not say how they linked Mr. Croucher to the earlier robbery. The suspect did not display a weapon or threaten harm to employees in either incident but used a note in both, Mason police said.

        Mr. Croucher was arrested Thursday after a high-speed chase that began when witnesses gave police a description of the getaway car — a 1988 Mazda RX7.

        West Chester Township police in Butler County spotted the car about 15 minutes after the heist and gave pursuit. Mr. Croucher fled on foot, leaving much of the money behind, after crashing into another vehicle on Muhlhauser Road just west of Ohio 747, police said.

        A police dog tracked him to Verts Logistics at 4440 Muhlhauser, where, armed with a knife, Mr. Croucher barricaded himself in an office ceiling for three hours. He surrendered to police negotiators at 11:04 p.m.

        Mr. Croucher was jailed in Butler County Friday on a $7,500 cash bond after appearing in Area II Court in Hamilton for arraignment on charges of breaking and entering, fleeing and eluding, and leaving an accident scene.

        It was unclear when he will be returned to Warren County to face the bank robbery charges.

        Mason Detective Don Cope said police have recovered what appears to be all the money taken from Thursday's heist. Besides money found in the crashed car, some of the cash was dropped in the bank parking lot when a dye pack exploded, he said.

        He said Mr. Croucher is not a suspect in other area bank robberies.

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