Accused New London bank robber appears in court

A Hartford man charged with robbing the Citizens Bank on Eugene O’Neill Drive in New London Tuesday after witnesses saw him dropping money colored by red dye was ordered held in lieu of a $250,000 bond at his arraignment Wednesday in New London Superior Court.

Jerry Thompson, 36, was arrested at the New London train station following the 2:10 p.m. incident. He was charged with third-degree robbery and fourth-degree larceny.

According to a police report, city police received several calls reporting that a man was dropping money on State Street that appeared to be colored by red dye. Minutes later, Citizens Bank called to report that it had been robbed.

Police flooded the downtown area, speaking with witnesses who described the man who had dropped the money and said he had run down State Street on foot. Officer Deana Nott spotted Thompson at the train station and called for help, according to the report. Nott called out to the man as he started to open the train station door, according to the report, then drew her gun and ordered him to the ground.

Nott saw the man moved his left hand toward his pants pocket and noticed a metal object in his left hand as he went to the ground, according to the report. She ordered him to keep his hands out of his pants pockets. Other officers arrived, and he was taken into custody. He had a large wrist watch and some money in his left hand, according to the report.

Back at the bank, police recovered surveillance photos of the incident and interviewed witnesses. The bank teller told them the robber had handed her a small piece of paper that said, “This is a robbery. No tricks. Don’t call cops. Hand me money in hand.” The teller gave the man $1,578 in cash and an additional $40 with a red dye pack in the middle. The dye pack exploded shortly after he exited the bank, according to witnesses.

Thompson’s next court date is March 26.

— Karen Florin