Bragg
A bank robbery was reported Tuesday afternoon at the JCBank branch at Main and Commerce streets in Brownstown.
A suspect — 35-year-old Jeremiah Bragg of Brownstown — was quickly apprehended and jailed on charges related to the robbery, according to a news release from Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the Indiana State Police.
The investigation began shortly after 2:30 p.m. when a bank alarm was received by dispatchers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, said Wheeles, who is the public information officer for the Versailles Post.
Initial information was an armed male had entered the bank, pointed a gun at employees and left the branch on foot with cash.
Officers from the Brownstown Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department responded and arrived on scene very quickly, Wheeles reported.
Additional information obtained from a witness at a nearby residence reported a male suspect ran through his yard and got into a black passenger car that was occupied by two other individuals before leaving the area.
Within minutes, a Brownstown police officer observed a black Nissan passenger car matching the description traveling westbound on Vallonia Road from Poplar Street, just outside of Brownstown.
A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. The suspect, later identified as Bragg, exited the rear passenger seat of the vehicle while holding a handgun and a large amount of cash.
Bragg soon dropped the handgun and was taken into custody by Brownstown and Jackson County officers. Troopers from the Versailles Post and Indiana Conservation Officers arrived on scene to assist.
The Brownstown Police Department requested detectives from the Versailles Post respond to lead the investigation. Information collected during the investigation indicated Bragg was the suspect who had entered the bank, pointed a gun at the teller and left with approximately $900 in cash.
Bragg was incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown on a preliminary charge of robbery, a Level 3 felony. The two adult females in the vehicle with Bragg were soon released.
The investigation is ongoing. More charges are likely in this case, Wheeles said.
The Indiana State Police was assisted in this investigation by the Brownstown Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Under the law, criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, Wheeles said.