A Columbus man already on probation for a pair of 2025 bank robberies is accused of striking again at the same East Main Street branch he hit one year earlier, almost to the day. John T. Blakely allegedly passed a note to rob the bank in the 2800 block of East Main Street, and police say he was arrested shortly afterward with cash believed to be from the heist still in his possession.
The timing is what makes this case stand out. According to a police release cited by WSYX, Blakely robbed the same bank one year earlier, on August 4, 2025. He was charged with robbery for that earlier heist, and just two days later, on August 6, 2025, he was charged with a second bank robbery in Reynoldsburg. Police say Blakely was found in possession of money stolen during the more recent robbery when officers took him into custody.
Blakely's history with the courts didn't end with those two 2025 charges. Police say he was adjudicated for both robberies in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, and in January 2026 he was sentenced to three years of community control — the maximum term Ohio law allows for a third-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code § 2929.15(A)(1). That sentence put him under court supervision instead of behind bars, at least until the alleged repeat robbery this week.
A Repeat Hit Puts His Probation on the Line
Committing a new felony while under Ohio community control isn't just a new case — it's also considered a substantive probation violation under state law, according to the Law Offices of Steven R. Adams. That means the judge who handed Blakely his three-year community control sentence in January now has the authority to revoke it entirely and impose the full prison terms tied to his original 2025 convictions, stacked on top of whatever new charges stem from this week's alleged robbery. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2911.02, robbery by threat or force is a third-degree felony carrying nine months to five years, while robbery involving a weapon or physical harm jumps to a second-degree felony punishable by two to eight years, per the Sabol Mallory law firm.
Blakely was incarcerated at the Franklin County Jail following his arrest. Under Ohio criminal procedure, defendants arrested on new felony charges while serving community control typically face an immediate probation detainer, which blocks pre-trial release on bond until a violation hearing can be scheduled, according to the same Adams law office analysis. That procedural detail helps explain why Blakely isn't expected to walk free while the new case moves forward.
East Main Street's History With Bank Heists
The 2800 block of East Main Street sits within Columbus Division of Police Zone 2 territory, an East Columbus commercial corridor that has seen its share of retail and bank crime over the past couple of years. Hoodline previously chased a red-beanie bank bandit along the same stretch, and covered an armed robbery on East Main Street in October 2024 as well. Anyone with information on this latest case is asked to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers anonymously at 614-461-TIPS, or reach the Columbus Police robbery unit directly at 614-645-4662.
Part of a Broader, if Shrinking, Crime Pattern
Nationally, bank robberies have fallen sharply from their 1990s peak, dropping to 1,362 reported violations in 2023, though law enforcement still clears roughly 52% to 60% of such cases, according to data cited by Pinkerton. The FBI has found that passing a written demand note, exactly the method police say Blakely used, is the most common tactic in American bank robberies, accounting for 58% of incidents nationwide in 2022. The FBI also reports that roughly a third of people identified in federal bank robbery investigations are repeat offenders with prior convictions for bank robbery, burglary, or larceny — a statistic that tracks closely with the allegations now facing Blakely.
Whether prosecutors keep this case at the state level or refer it to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio remains an open question. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 2113 allows for sentences up to 20 years for non-violent bank robbery and up to 25 years if a weapon is involved, according to the NYC Criminal Defense Guide. For now, Blakely remains held at the Franklin County Jail as both his new charges and his probation status await further court action.
