Man pleads guilty to robbing same bank 5 years later

A man has pleaded guilty to robbing the same Southington bank in 2021 where he committed a robbery in 2016 and led police on a 20-mile chase.

David Latino, 51, of Southington took a plea deal in New Britain Superior Court on Thursday, pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree robbery — one of which stemmed from an unrelated robbery in Plainville.

Latino is being held on a $20,000 bond and is expected to face sentencing on April 10.

According to Southington police, Latino entered the TD Bank on Main Street on Oct. 8, 2021, and handed the teller a note that threatened violence. He left the bank on foot, making away with an undisclosed amount of cash, and could not immediately be located.

Latino was charged about five months after the robbery. According to Southington police, he robbed the same bank in December 2016 in a hold-up that was nearly identical to the 2021 robbery.

In the 2016 incident, police said, Latino again entered the TD Bank and handed the teller a note that demanded money. This time, however, he was given bait money that was equipped with a GPS tracking device.

Latino, Southington police said, then led authorities on a chase that spanned about 20 miles into Naugatuck, where his vehicle was finally disabled with stop sticks on Route 8, near Exit 25. He abandoned the vehicle and ran into the Naugatuck River before being taken into custody in a state forest, police said.

Latino in the 2016 incident later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree robbery. He was sentenced in 2018 to two years and a day in prison, followed by two years of special parole.