Robbery suspects found, arrested in So. Md., N.C.

Money found buried behind home

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008

A St. Mary’s man and woman remained jailed without bond this week on charges from the Sept. 24 holdup at a Lexington Park bank, and detectives reported Monday that they were heading down to North Carolina to question two other St. Mary’s residents arrested there over the weekend.

The discovery of buried safes stuffed with money behind a home off Indian Bridge Road followed the launch of a series of police raids, and detectives report that about two-thirds of the $168,000 stolen during the heist at the PNC bank branch off Route 235 has been recovered. They report that the rest was spent lavishly by the suspects, who remained in St. Mary’s after the holdup until some of them decided to move south.

‘‘We believe they gambled it away and spent it,” Lt. Rick Burris said Monday at a press conference. ‘‘It was basically to get the money and go out and splurge on whatever they felt like.”

The money was spent on clothing, computers, iPods and other electronic gear, according to the lieutenant. The money also was spent on a trip to Atlantic City and plans for a trip to Las Vegas, Burris said.

Edwin Jonathan Jones, 40, of Lexington Park began talking several weeks ago about how he would rob a bank, court papers state, by kidnapping a manager and her children. Jones also had an address in Calvert County’s Lusby community within walking distance of the home of Latoya Booth, the PNC branch manager who was abducted outside her residence on the morning of Sept. 24, along with her 5-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son.

‘‘The suspects had detailed knowledge of [the] bank operation,” St. Mary’s Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron said, but only through their own surveillance activities.

‘‘There is no indication that there was anyone at the bank involved in this,” Burris said.

Jones had discussed his robbery idea with Joseph Franklin Brown, the 25-year-old Indian Bridge Road resident, according to court papers alleging Brown and William Cordell ‘‘Back Road Billy” Johnson, 28, of California initially received the money that Booth was forced to get from the bank.

She took her 5-year-old daughter inside with her, left the child with another employee while complying with the robbers’ demands, and was released with her 18-month-old son at nearby Green Holly Elementary school, investigators report.

Booth was ‘‘begging for her release,” the sheriff said, and when she saw some of the school’s employees, ‘‘she yelled and ran to them.”

‘‘She was an innocent victim,” Burris said.

At his bond hearing on Monday, Jones said he was on his job with a lawn maintenance company when the bank robbery took place.

‘‘I was at work. I was employed at the time, the same day this occurrence happened,” Jones said. ‘‘I have a full crew coming in. Those witnesses will be in court.”

Quinita Jesse Ennis, 30, of Lexington Park was allegedly a getaway driver for the pair who carried out the abduction, court papers state, and detectives described her as a girlfriend of Brown. Charging papers allege she had more than $10,000 with her when she was arrested.

Cameron said four safes, two empty ones and two containing much of the recovered $110,000, were found buried in Brown’s backyard.

Brown and Johnson were arrested and jailed in Raleigh, N.C., and detectives said they planned to travel there later Monday to question them.

‘‘They were going to set up residence” there, Burris said, and Ennis planned to do the same.

The lieutenant said the investigation continues, to identify and arrest anyone with prior knowledge of the robbery or anyone who assisted the suspects after the holdup.