NORWICH, Conn. — A bank robbery suspect was arrested after leaving a trail of cyberclues, including an online search for "how not to rob a bank," police said.
Kevin Fitzpatrick, 32, was arraigned Thursday on charges of robbery and larceny for a Sept. 28, 2005, robbery. He was held on unrelated charges in New York at the time of his arrest.
Police said Fitzpatrick was staying with a woman at the time of the Norwich robbery and spent a great deal of time on her computer. They had met on the Internet and had never met in person when he asked to stay for several days, borrowing her car the day of the robbery and returning with a lot of cash, claiming he won it at the Mohegan Sun casino, police said.
Police allege Fitzpatrick walked into a Liberty Bank branch and handed a teller a note demanding money. A week later, a tip led police to the friend, who said she recognized Fitzpatrick from a surveillance photo posted on a newspaper Web site.
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Police said when the friend checked the log of her computer, she noticed a search had been conducted for "Norwich bank robbery."
A police search of the computer revealed numerous searches concerning bank robberies.
"Most times when citizens get involved, relaying honest and accurate information about what they see, it's a benefit to the investigation," police Capt. Timothy Menard said.