By FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

Alert work by Scioto County Sheriff’s deputies resulted in the arrest of five people after an armed bank robbery Tuesday morning.

Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini said that at 9:04 a.m. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office 911 center received calls from the US Bank in Minford, in reference to an armed robbery.

Donini said two males entered the bank with one of them brandishing a firearm. Once inside the suspects demanded and took money from the bank. Witnesses told the 911 center they had seen the two males run from the bank and get into a white Dodge Ram truck.

“Deputy (Willard) Buckler passed them on (Ohio) 335 at Coriell Road, saw a white vehicle and turned on it,” Scioto County Sheriff’s Captain David Hall said. “The female driver started to pull over, and she almost put it in a ditch.”

Hall said that is when Jim Meade, 28, of 842 Chestnut St., Wyandotte, Mich. bolted from the vehicle and took off running, while the other four passengers in the truck stayed at the scene.

Meade ran across Coriell Road, then across 335 into a pasture, with Deputy James Conley giving chase for about half a mile over railroad tracks, across the highway and across a pasture, before catching up with him and taking him into custody.

Hall said they recovered one weapon and the money from the bank.

Meade and Ryan A. Steffey, 25, of 4455 Confederate Point Road, Apt. 5, Jacksonville, Fla. are each charged with aggravated robbery, a felony of the first degree.

Amanda M. Nadeau, 23, of 6286 Arthur Durham Dr., Jacksonville, Fla.; Crystal M. Caldwell, 28, of 842 Chestnut St., Wyandotte, Mich.; and Tiffany C. Binoski, 18, of 4455 Confederate Point Apartments, Jacksonville, Fla. are all charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery.

All five will be arraigned this morning in Portsmouth Municipal Court.

The subjects will be also facing pending federal bank robbery charges with the FBI.

Donini expressed his appreciation for the efforts of deputies Buckler and Conley, along with the detectives and officers from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office in locating the suspects along with the assistance of the citizens, local law enforcement, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the OSHP K-9 unit and the FBI, who assisted with searching for the suspects.

Donini said if anyone has information about this case they can contact Detective Jodi Conkel at (740) 354-7566. All information will be kept confidential.

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.