SKOWHEGAN — A Skowhegan man has been indicted by a Somerset County grand jury on robbery and theft charges in connection with a bank holdup in January in Norridgewock.
Dustin L. Everett, 34, of Gerald’s Way in Skowhegan, is charged with class A robbery with use of a firearm and class B theft with use of a dangerous weapon for the Jan. 9 robbery of a downtown Skowhegan Savings Bank branch. The grand jury alleges that Everett threatened to use force against a bank teller and to leave with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The robbery charge carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years upon a conviction. The theft charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but is an indication that enough evidence is present to proceed with a trial.
The charging officer is Cpl. David Cole, of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
Police used DNA evidence to arrest Everett on Jne 28 at his home. Everett confessed to having committed the bank robbery, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said at the time.
About 12:27 p.m. Jan. 9, a team from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a bank robbery at Skowhegan Savings Bank on Main Street in Norridgewock. The ensuing investigation conducted by detectives assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division revealed that a lone male robber had entered the bank, brandished what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun and demanded cash from the bank tellers.
At the time of the robbery, three tellers and two customers were in the bank, but no one was harmed physically. The robber stole thousands of dollars in cash, after which he left the bank on foot, traveling south on Perkins Street in the direction of Route 8, Lancaster said.
The robber reportedly entered the bank shortly after noon wearing a red neoprene ski mask, a dark stocking cap, a dark jacket, light blue jeans and gloves. The man, holding what looked like a gun, jumped onto the counter and demanded that the bank tellers give him money.
School officials at Mill Stream Elementary School on Mercer Road, also known as U.S. Route 2, were notified of the robbery around 1 p.m. Officials put the school on lockout, which restricts anyone from coming into or leaving the school, School Administrative District 54 Superintendent Brent Colbry said at the time.
During the investigation into the bank robbery, witness statements and evidence were collected, including surveillance footage and possible clothing worn by the robber that had been discarded a short distance from the bank, Lancaster said. The clothing was submitted to the State Crime Laboratory for DNA analysis.
DNA profiles were collected from the clothing and a possible suspect was identified from a match in the Combined DNA Index System database, according to the sheriff.
The possible suspect in the case was identified as Everett.
On May 22, sheriff’s office detectives armed with a warrant conducted a search at Everett’s home and spoke with Everett about the robbery. Everett initially denied any involvement in it when interviewed, Lancaster said. A sample of Everett’s DNA was collected at that time and sent to the crime laboratory for analysis.
Crime laboratory technicians in June confirmed that Everett’s DNA matched the DNA collected on the clothing recovered near the scene of the robbery.
“The science of DNA has changed how law enforcement views and processes crime scenes,” Lancaster said in June. “We collect a lot more physical evidence, and the fact that we can compare samples against a nationwide database enhances law enforcement’s effectiveness.”
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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