CARROLL VALLEY, Adams County — Police have charged a Maryland man in the robbery of a PNC Bank on the 800 block of Waynesboro Pike in Carroll Valley Borough last month.
Jacob Charles Lafrance, 28, of Thurmont, Maryland, is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property in the April 25 incident, according to the Adams County District Attorney’s Office.
He was arrested Thursday in Maryland and is awaiting extradition to Adams County. The arrest came after a collaborative investigation by members of the Carroll Valley Borough Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department, Maryland State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the arrest affidavit, the robbery occurred around 2 p.m. on April 25. A suspect, later identified as Lafrance, entered the bank, displayed a black handgun, and demanded money from a teller. He was described as a black male, approximately 5-7, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, large sunglasses, black gloves and a red bandana.
After leaving the bank with $4,266 in cash, the suspect got in a blueish-gray passenger sedan and drove west on Route 16, according to the criminal complaint.
Using surveillance footage provided by the bank’s security cameras, investigators found several identifiable items worn by the suspect that they were able to match to Lafrance, including his Under Armor-branded sweatshirt and a backpack he had on his shoulder at the time of the robbery.
Police matched a surveillance photo of the backpack to one on Lafrance’s Facebook page. Other items of clothing worn by the suspect at the robbery were also matched to photos on Lafrance’s Facebook page, investigators say.
Police obtained a search warrant for Lafrance’s home in Maryland on Wednesday, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators found a North Face backpack matching the one carried by the suspect in the robbery. They also found other items of clothing, including the black hooded sweatshirt and work boots, worn by the robbery suspect.
A black pellet gun that appeared to match the handgun displayed by the suspect in the robbery was found in Lafrance’s vehicle.
The vehicle also matched the one the suspect was seen driving from the scene in surveillance footage, according to the criminal complaint.
Lafrance was placed under arrest. Bail has not yet been set, according to the Adams County District Attorney’s Office.
