Paul Smith Content Manager

11:35 a.m. EDT, September 4, 2012

YORK TOWNSHIP

July 27th 2011 robbery of Sovereign Bank 880 West Broadway Street, York Township. September 8th 2011 robbery of Sovereign Bank 880 West Broadway Street, York Township. January 3rd 2012 robbery of Peoples Bank 2587 Cape Horn Road, Windsor Township. June 14th 2012 attempted robbery of Sovereign Bank 880 West Broadway Street, York Township.

When the robber hit the Sovereign Bank in July and September of last year, he entered the bank with his face covered and wearing a sweat shirt turned inside out. He dropped the sweatshirt in a wooded area near the bank after the September robbery. That sweatshirt was recovered by police and sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Laboratory for DNA testing. On January 3rd, 2012, the same suspect robbed the Peoples Bank on Cape Horn Road in Windsor Township. The robber again had his face covered and wore a sweatshirt. The actor demanded money and fled the bank in a maroon Kia. A York Area Regional Police officer observed a car matching the suspect vehicle in Yoe Borough and pulled it over. The car was driven by Benjamin Pohl. When the officer did not find any evidence that linked Pohl to the bank robbery he was released. In the coming months, investigators focused on Pohl. The Sovereign Bank was robbed for the third time on June 14th, 2012. It was the same robber, same modus operandi- he again covered his face and wore a sweatshirt turned inside out. This time he jumped over the teller counter, but fled the bank before obtaining any cash. The suspect was seen entering a gold Honda sedan. Investigators knew Pohl owned a gold Honda sedan and responded to his Red Lion Borough address. This time, investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence and interviewed Pohl. They took a DNA sample and sent it to the Pennsylvania State Police DNA laboratory for comparison with the DNA collected from the gray sweatshirt. The DNA proved to be a match. Pohl subsequently admitted to committing five bank robberies.

Read more here:
DNA evidence leads to arrest of Red Lion bank robber