Field robbery arrest was part of province-wide manhunt

One of the suspect has now been arrested three times in as many years.

Last week, the OPP arrested three individuals in Field while preventing them from robbing the local branch of Caisse Alliance. With three out-of-town suspects in custody, and not much information released by the police, many are still left wondering what happened.

One thing is certain is that the events of June 21st shook up the potential victims of the thwarted robbery. Employees have shared that prior to the arrests, a plain clothes police officer showing a badge entered the building to warn the staff that suspects would be attempting to rob the bank shortly and that they were in immediate danger. They were told to move to a safer location in the bank.

Shortly thereafter the police apprehended the suspects who they had been closely watching.

Employees at the bank were later told that the thieves had been wanted for the past year as police believed they were the ones responsible for many recent robberies.

Ontario has seen a surge in bank robberies over the last year. Especially targeting credit unions (also known as Caisse Populaires in french).

Last year, the OPP issued a warning to Ontario credit unions to step up security after two rural branches were targeted in Southwestern Ontario between April and May of 2023. The suspects tied employees and obtained cash but were never caught by police. Another credit union in Niagara Falls was hit earlier in February 2023.

Photo of suspects in Southwestern Ontario robberies at credit unions in April/May 2023

Photo of suspects at Niagara robbery in February, 2023

In November 2023, two suspects robbed a credit union in Barrie at gunpoint. Similarly, the suspects had face coverings and bound the employees. The suspects were believed to be in their 20s.

In March, 2024, residents in Belleville, ON were shocked when their credit union was robbed with a weapon mid-day. In nearby Pickering, another credit union was robbed in December, 2022. In both cases, the suspects had handguns.

Released image of suspects in March 2024 Belleville robbery.

Released image of suspects in December 2022 Pickering robbery.

It’s not clear why thieves have targeted credit unions in their recent crime spree. But the fact that many credit unions are located in rural settings may make getaways easier. Another possible explanation could be perceived differences in security and technology as compared to the big 5 billion-dollar banks in Canada.

Field suspect is a third time offender

One of the suspects in the Field robbery was Roderick Newman of Cobourg. This appears to be Newman’s third arrest in as many years.

In August 2022, Newman was charged with 19 counts of property obtained by crime. His house was searched after a victim tracked their stolen computer to his residence. A search revealed a cache of stolen property worth over $38,000.

A month later, police arrested him again after discovering he was involved in a string of robberies throughout 2022. He was released on bail.

A year later in November 2023, Newman was charged again. This time for stunt driving (60km/h over the limit) on highway 401. He was also charged for possessing more than one licence. He was not arrested but received a 30-day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment.

Obviously police would have known about this suspect. His prior history may have helped them track the culprits and succeed in their manhunt.

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