Contractors charged with robbing nearby bank

Police say a pair of bank robbers was caught while trying to appear innocuous less than a quarter mile away from the crime scene.

The Evans Bank at 2800 Niagara Falls Boulevard in Tonawanda was robbed around 12:40pm on Tuesday. A man entered the bank and handed the teller a note. The note claimed he had a weapon.

Witnesses to the crime told police details about the getaway vehicle and police found it – at 2700 Niagara Falls Boulevard, less than a quarter of a mile away from the crime scene.

Police say the suspects, 22-year-old Ryan Collins and 29-year-old Eric Lockwood, are contractors who were doing work near the bank.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers checked the pair’s pickup and found the stolen money, still in the bank’s wrappers, and the clothing the suspects’ wore during the robbery.

Both are charged with first and second degree robbery, third degree criminal possession of stolen property and marijuana possession.