Geneva police are waiting to learn whether the man charged in an Elgin bank robbery also will be brought to court for the First State Bank robbery on Dec. 5 in Geneva.
And the St. Charles Police Department also will communicate with the Kane County State's Attorney's Office and federal authorities to coordinate possibly more charges against 22-year-old Dane R. Pheneghar.
St. Charles officers took the Glen Ellyn man into custody on Dec. 22 following the arrest of another man, Nicholas D. Seidel. Seidel, 30, is charged with stealing a 2002 BMW from Don McCue Chevrolet, burglarizing a business on Stern Avenue and issuing or delivering counterfeit money.
Seidel, who is from Elgin but was staying at the Super 8 in St. Charles, reportedly told police others were also staying in his hotel room.
Police set up surveillance at the hotel early on Dec. 22 and saw a man leaving who matched the description of a bank robbery suspect, St. Charles police spokesperson Paul McCurtain said.
The man, later identified as Pheneghar, left in a Honda Accord and ignored officers' attempts at a traffic stop on East Main Street, McCurtain said. He noted Pheneghar instead accelerated "at a high rate of speed" and turned north on Powis Road.
Officers lost the vehicle around Powis and Army Trail roads and were joined by Kane County Sheriff's deputies, McCurtain said.
Their search was greatly helped when a resident of Pearson Drive near Army Trail Road reported that a strange vehicle had been abandoned on the driveway, McCurtain said. Authorities found Pheneghar in a nearby backyard, he said, and officers took him into custody after a foot chase.
"It helps us tremendously when citizens get involved and call us whenever they see anything suspicious," McCurtain said.
Pheneghar was turned over to the FBI. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier in Chicago, at which time he was formally charged with one count of felony bank robbery and was held without bond, according to the Chicago FBI.
He is accused of stealing more than $4,000 from Elgin State Bank, 1001 S. Randall Road, on Dec. 20. He handed the teller a note announcing a robbery and demanding cash from her drawer, according to the FBI. The note claimed he had a handgun, the FBI said, but he displayed no weapon, and no injuries were reported.
Phenegar is also a suspect in the Dec. 5 robberies at the Fifth Third Bank in Wheaton and the First State Bank in Geneva, as well as the Dec. 9 robbery at the TCF Bank in Glendale Heights, according to the FBI.
Cmdr. Eric Passarelli of the Geneva Police Department said it takes time to put several cases together when dealing with multiple jurisdictions. If Phenegar is charged with the Geneva bank robbery, he said, it will be "good news" to have him off the street.
"It's unfortunate to have one person come into an area such as this … it definitely puts people on edge, and we don't want that to occur," Passarelli said.
Phenegar is not a suspect in the Dec. 8 robbery at GameStop, 1492 N. Randall Road, Passarelli said. McCurtain said the recent robberies in St. Charles also remain under investigation.
St. Charles police searched the Super 8 room Phenegar and Seidel shared and notified the U.S. Secret Service after discovering the pair were making counterfeit $20 bills, McCurtain said.
"We took a number of counterfeit bills that were still in the computer and the printer," he said. "Everything is in evidence."
St. Charles police have not charged Phenegar with crimes because they are not sure what charges will be filed in state court, McCurtain said. He said police will speak with the Kane County State's Attorney's Office and federal authorities to coordinate charges.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Phenegar was released on parole on Nov. 18. He was sentenced on charges related to forgery, manufacturing/distributing a look-alike substance and obstructing justice.By ASHLEY RHODEBECK
arhodebeck@shawmedia.com
Geneva police are waiting to learn whether the man charged in an Elgin bank robbery also will be brought to court for the First State Bank robbery on Dec. 5 in Geneva.
And the St. Charles Police Department also will communicate with the Kane County State's Attorney's Office and federal authorities to coordinate possibly more charges against 22-year-old Dane R. Pheneghar.
St. Charles officers took the Glen Ellyn man into custody on Dec. 22 following the arrest of another man, Nicholas D. Seidel.
Seidel, 30, is charged with stealing a 2002 BMW from Don McCue Chevrolet, burglarizing a business on Stern Avenue and issuing or delivering counterfeit money.
Seidel, who is from Elgin but was staying at the Super 8 in St. Charles, reportedly told police others were also staying in his hotel room.
Police set up surveillance at the hotel early on Dec. 22 and saw a man leaving who matched the description of a bank robbery suspect, St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said.
The man, later identified as Pheneghar, left in a Honda Accord and ignored officers' attempts at a traffic stop on East Main Street, McCurtain said.
He noted Pheneghar instead accelerated "at a high rate of speed" and turned north on Powis Road.
Officers lost the vehicle around Powis and Army Trail roads and were joined by Kane County Sheriff's deputies, McCurtain said.
Their search was greatly helped when a resident of Pearson Drive near Army Trail Road reported that a strange vehicle had been abandoned on the driveway, McCurtain said.
Authorities found Pheneghar in a nearby backyard, he said, and officers took him into custody after a foot chase.
"It helps us tremendously when citizens get involved and call us whenever they see anything suspicious," McCurtain said.
Pheneghar was turned over to the FBI. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier in Chicago, at which time he was formally charged with one count of felony bank robbery and was held without bond, according to the Chicago FBI.
He is accused of stealing more than $4,000 from Elgin State Bank, 1001 S. Randall Road, on Dec. 20.
He handed the teller a note announcing a robbery and demanding cash from her drawer, according to the FBI.
The note claimed he had a handgun, the FBI said, but he displayed no weapon, and no injuries were reported.
Pheneghar is also a suspect in the Dec. 5 robberies at the Fifth Third Bank in Wheaton and the First State Bank in Geneva, as well as the Dec. 9 robbery at the TCF Bank in Glendale Heights, according to the FBI.
Cmdr. Eric Passarelli of the Geneva Police Department said it takes time to put several cases together when dealing with multiple jurisdictions.
If Pheneghar is charged with the Geneva bank robbery, he said, it will be "good news" to have him off the street.
"It's unfortunate to have one person come into an area such as this … it definitely puts people on edge, and we don't want that to occur," Passarelli said.
Pheneghar is not a suspect in the Dec. 8 robbery at GameStop, 1492 N. Randall Road, Passarelli said. McCurtain said the recent robberies in St. Charles also remain under investigation.
St. Charles police searched the Super 8 room Pheneghar and Seidel shared and notified the U.S. Secret Service after discovering the pair were making counterfeit $20 bills, McCurtain said.
"We took a number of counterfeit bills that were still in the computer and the printer," he said. "Everything is in evidence."
St. Charles police have not charged Pheneghar with crimes because they are not sure what charges will be filed in state court, McCurtain said.
He said police will speak with the Kane County State's Attorney's Office and federal authorities to coordinate charges.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Pheneghar was released on parole on Nov. 18.
He was sentenced on charges related to forgery, manufacturing/distributing a look-alike substance and obstructing justice.
