The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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Bruce James Abramski Jr. |
Friday, July 30, 2010
By KEN BRADLEY - Staff Writer
Three charges, connected with the armed robbery of Franklin Community Bank, against a 26-year-old Callaway man were certified to a grand jury Thursday in Franklin General District Court.
The three charges against Bruce James Abramski Jr. certified by General District Judge George Jones were robbery, using a firearm in the commission of robbery and entering a bank while armed and with the intent to commit larceny.
Franklin County Commonwealth's Attorney Cliff Hapgood called six witnesses to testify during the preliminary hearing, including Investigator Tim Woods with the Franklin Sheriff's Office, a police officer with the Roanoke City Police Department, two bank tellers and two employees of a gun shop in Collinsville.
Woods testified that authorities began looking at Abramski as a suspect or "person of interest" in connection with the Nov. 12, 2009, robbery on Dec. 3, 2009, after Abramski was stopped while driving a red Volkswagen Jetta and given a summons for a traffic violation.
Woods said Abramski's build matched the description of the person who robbed the bank, based on information obtained during the investigation of the robbery. He said photos of Abramski were obtained from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
A bank teller at Franklin Community Bank testified that she was working on the day of the robbery. At about 11:30 a.m., a man wearing a ski mask and a black jacket with stripes entered the bank, carrying a handgun and a bag with stripes and handles.
The teller said she pushed the alarm button as the robber approached her. He pointed the gun at her and told her to keep her hand off the alarm.
The teller said she had $3,000 in U.S. currency in her hands from a deposit made earlier by a customer. She said the money was in $10 and $20 denominations.
"I dropped the money on the counter and told the man to not hurt anyone, and we would give him whatever he wanted," the teller said.
The man then picked up the money and put it in the bag he was carrying. He then went to the next teller and took another $1,000 from her and put it in the bag.
The teller said the man left in a dark-colored Ford Explorer SUV with no license plates.
Two employees at the Town Gun Shop in Collinsville testified that Abramski came into their store on Nov. 17, 2009, and purchased $2,03.81 worth of firearms and ammunition. The employee who was working the register testified that Abramski paid for the firearms and ammunition $10 and $20 bills.
A bank teller who worked at Carter Bank and Trust on U.S. 220 near the Franklin-Henry County line said a man came into the bank a few days after the robbery of Franklin Community Bank and asked for information about opening a checking account. The teller said the man had a black bag with stripes and handles and left shortly after he asked about a checking account. She said he left the bank parking lot in red Jetta.
The teller contacted the Henry County Sheriff's Department about the incident and later picked Abramski from a photo lineup as the man who had come into the bank.
Justin Moricle, a Roanoke Police officer who worked with Abramski when he was a police officer, testified that photos taken by bank surveillance cameras at the time of the robbery showed that the robber's bag looked identical to the bag he and Abramski each purchased at the same time to store their police gear.
Moricle also said the long fingers and lips of the masked man in the photos looked like Abramski.
In certifying the charges to the grand jury against Abramski, Jones said the evidence presented in the hearing established probable cause. |
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