According to the Portage Police Department, it was Nicholas Lowe’s last minute decision to top off his gas tank before robbing a bank in Calhoun County, Michigan, late last week, that resulted in his being caught.
Investigators say that on Thursday morning, May 26, 2016, Lowe purchased gas for his car at a gas station located near the Chase bank he is alleged to have then robbed. He is then said to have entered the bank, where he was offered a cup of coffee before getting into line to speak with a teller.
Lowe was given $1400 before he fled
When he got to the teller’s window, he is said to have told the bank employee to do as he told her to do, and then handed her a note that read, “I have a gun give me all the money no small bills.” He is then alleged to have unzipped his sweatshirt in order to allow the teller to see the butt of a handgun he had with him at the time. Bank records show that Lowe was given $1,400 before he fled the premises.
Portage Police investigators spoke to witnesses in the area, one of whom had seen a man running from the bank and driving away in a car similar to Lowe’s getaway car. Officers retrieved a surveillance video from the gas station nearby and quickly found footage of a man getting gas for a vehicle that matched the description of the getaway vehicle.
Police were then able to track down the identity of the person who paid for that gas purchase – Nicholas Lowe of Battle Creek in Calhoun County, Michigan. Officers looked at Lowe’s Facebook page where they noted pictures of his Chrysler 300 and then began surveillance of his home.
At midnight, Lowe was arrested and then identified by a witness in a police lineup. He has been charged with armed robbery, which is a felony under Michigan law and is being held in the Calhoun County Jail until either he posts bail or is sentenced at trial. It is also possible that Lowe could be charged federally with bank robbery and with gun charges.
Sentencing for the federal versions of bank robbery and gun charges is much more severe than under state law. If Lowe is convicted for either the state or federal bank robbery, he will be serving a long prison sentence. According to Portage Police Chief Troy Williams, the window of time from the robbery to the arrest was no more than 15 hours.
Bank robbery is a very serious felony on both the state and federal level. Anyone facing charges of this nature is going to need a high powered criminal defense lawyer. At The Kronzek Firm, our criminal defense attorneys have many decades of combined experience defending the people of Michigan against state and federal charges of robbery, firearms charges as well as many other felony crimes, including Sexual Assault, Breaking and Entering, and drug related crimes. They can be reached 24/7 at 1 -866-766-5245.