Concord Police arrest suspect in downtown bank robbery

Suspect in Nov. 20 Bank of America robbery on Storrs Street.

Suspect in Nov. 20 Bank of America robbery on Storrs Street. Courtesy Concord Police

John R. Griffin, Jr.

John R. Griffin, Jr. Concord Police—Courtesy photo

By CATHERINE McLAUGHLIN

Monitor staff

Published: 12-19-2024 10:56 AM

Modified: 12-19-2024 2:55 PM


Concord Police have arrested a Berlin man who they say robbed the Bank of America on Storrs Street in November.

John R. Griffin Jr., 64, was taken into custody in Gorham and transported to Concord on Wednesday, police said. He faces felony charges of robbery and theft by unauthorized taking and is being held on preventative detention.

Griffin did not immediately return a voicemail requesting comment Thursday.

On the morning of Nov. 20, a man wearing a hooded, zip-up sweatshirt with his face and hands obscured by a black ski mask, gloves and ski goggles entered the Bank of America on Storrs Street downtown and demanded money from an employee, witnesses reported. While he presented no weapon, court documents state that the teller noted he kept on hand in his pocket, as if armed, court records state. An audit found he stole a total of $12,813.

In 2013, Griffin was convicted of theft by unauthorized taking after robbing a Bank of America in Merrimack wearing a rubber mask of former president Barack Obama, charging documents note.

Police identified Griffin as the suspect using surveillance footage that traced him from the scene of the robbery to a vehicle registered in his name, according to charging documents.

The investigation leading to his arrest involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office Drug Task Force and the Berlin Police Department, according to Concord Police.

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com.

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