Crime & Safety
Suspected Bank Robber Nabbed After Bicycle Getaway
Jamie Pointer allegedly robbed Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank Friday afternoon.
Police on Friday afternoon caught a local man accused of robbing a downtown bank and fleeing on a bicycle.
Jamie Pointer, 27, of 115 Ledgewood Dr., Portsmouth, was arrested after police said he robbed Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank on State Street at about 2 p.m. and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Pointer was dressed in aviator sunglasses, a suit jacket, and jeans during the robbery, police said. He ditched the clothes and changed into "athletic" gear, then hopped on a bicycle to make his getaway, according to Deputy police Chief Corey MacDonald.
Police sent out a surveillance photo of the suspect to officers and local media. At 3 p.m., State Trooper Anthony Cattabrigga saw Pointer on a bicycle near Grafton Road about 3 miles from the bank. Cattabrigga and Portsmouth police Officer Andrew Wassouf detained Pointer until backup arrived, police said.
MacDonald said Pointer is "familiar to law enforcement."
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