Charges laid in Valley bank robberies

RCMP have charged two people in connection with two recent bank robberies in Kings County.

Cpl. Chris Marshall said police had identified suspects in a May 5 robbery at the Royal Bank in Berwick and were making plans to arrest them when they were called to a bank hold-up in Greewnood at about 3:30 p.m on May 11.

A man armed with a knife walked into the Valley Credit

Union branch on Central Avenue and made off with some cash.

About 20 minutes later, a suspect was arrested without incident at a home on Kenwood Avenue in Greenwood. Police allege that he was involved in both robberies.

A 30-year-old woman who came out of the house was also arrested. Marshall said she isn’t involved in the robberies, but was wanted on a warrant and was found to be in breach of release conditions for another matter.

Not long after the man was arrested, RCMP in Digby County arrested another woman in Tiverton, who they allege was involved in the Berwick robbery.

All three people arrested are residents of Greenwood. They were held in custody overnight and appeared in Kentville provincial on May 13.

Ryan Taylor Wilband, 42, is charged with two counts of stealing money while armed with an offensive weapon; two counts of stealing money of a value exceeding $5,000, two counts of wearing a mask to commit an offence, two counts of carrying a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence and five counts of failing to comply with probation. He has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance on May 24.

The person who robbed the Berwick bank was armed with a hammer.

Raylene Rose Mahaney,

28, is charged with one count each of stealing money from the Royal Bank of Canada while armed with an offensive weapon, a hammer; wearing a mask to commit an offence and stealing over $5,000 from the Royal Bank of Canada.

She was been remanded into custody until her next court appearance on May 16.

Marshall said he wasn’t sure what role investigators allege she had in the Berwick robbery.

Desiree Jerrica Dawn

Smith, 30, faces a new charge of failing to follow conditions of a court order.