A 71-year-old Indianapolis man is in jail after police say he robbed two downtown banks, then told detectives he was trying to scrape together enough cash to cover a $300 electric bill. Investigators say he walked into the branches, slid a note demanding money to the tellers, collected the cash and left on foot before officers detained him at the downtown transit center on East Washington Street. He was later booked into the Marion County Jail.
Investigators say the first robbery was reported Friday at the BMO Harris branch at 135 Pennsylvania Street, where a teller handed over $640. Detectives reviewing surveillance footage say the suspect in that holdup was wearing the same clothing as the man they later detained, and court documents note that no weapon was displayed in either incident. Those details were outlined in reporting by Fox59.
On Monday, according to authorities, a man walked into the First Financial branch at 11 S. Meridian Street and handed over another note demanding cash. The teller gave him an undetermined amount of money along with so-called “bait” bills that are set aside for robberies. Court filings say detectives later recovered a blue pen taken from the bank and that the written demand included the words “this is a bank robbery.” Fox59 reports that investigators linked the two downtown cases after comparing surveillance footage and physical evidence.
IMPD detectives detained the suspect at the downtown transit center on East Washington Street and, according to court paperwork, found $1,602 in his jacket front pocket along with a fresh $50 bill nearby. The man was identified in court records as 71-year-old Calvin Henderson. Investigators say he admitted carrying out the robberies to get money for bills and told them he needed roughly $300 to cover an electric payment. He was booked into the Marion County Jail, and the county’s Marion County inmate lookup lists him as currently in custody.
Charges and Court Status
Court documents show Henderson faces two preliminary counts of robbery, with each count charged as a Level 5 felony. Online court records do not yet list a date for his initial appearance in Marion Superior Court 20, and prosecutors have not publicly announced any additional filings.
What’s Next
Henderson remains in custody at the Marion County Jail while prosecutors and the public defender’s office prepare the next steps in the case. Police are asking anyone who may have additional video or information about the robberies to contact IMPD’s robbery detectives.
