Kingston suspect charged in upstate case
BETHLEHEM, N.Y. » The suspect in a mid-January bank robbery in Kingston has been charged by police in Albany County with committing a Slingerlands bank robbery earlier in the month.
Bethlehem police charged Ryan J. O’Connor, 30, of Hannacroix, on Tuesday in connection with the Jan. 6 robbery of the Trustco Bank, 1569 New Scotland Road, Slingerlands. O’Connor was charged with the felony of robbery and the misdemeanor of petit larceny.
From the start of their investigation, Bethlehem police said, they worked with Kingston police and were comparing similar robberies in Albany and Rotterdam. Bethlehem police executed multiple search warrants to gain further evidence, they said.
O’Connor was arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday and returned to the Ulster County Jail, where he’s been held without bail since the Kingston heist.
On Jan. 18, Ryan was arrested by Kingston police shortly after he allegedly robbed the Key Bank branch on Wall Street in the city’s Uptown business district.
O’Connor was arrested at about 5 p.m. on the Thruway Exit 19 roundabout in the town of Ulster, just outside the city, following a car chase. He was charged with felony robbery, arraigned and jailed.
Kingston police said officers responded at 4:40 p.m. to the Key Bank at 276 Wall St. for a report of a robbery. A description of the suspect was obtained and given to patrols, while other officers were directed to locate a vehicle that possibly was involved, police said.
After a brief search of the surrounding area, officers caught up with and stopped the vehicle on the roundabout. Police said O’Connor did not resist when he was taken into custody and that the money stolen during the robbery, along with other evidence, was recovered.
Police did not reveal the amount of money.
No weapon was shown during the Kingston or Slingerlands robberies, and no one was injured in either incident, police said.
There also was no customers were in the bank at the time of the incident, but no one was injured. No weapon was displayed during the Slingerlands robbery and there were no injuries, according to Bethlehem police.