Howard County Police have charged a Columbia man with robbing two area banks in less than two weeks.
John R. Martin, 47, was charged with robbing a BB&T Bank on Tuesday and a 1st Mariner Bank Dec. 22.
An employee of BB&T Bank in the 8800 block of Columbia 100 Parkway reported Tuesday morning that a man jumped over the counter, demanded money and fled with cash in a pillowcase.
Later in the afternoon, a patrol officer saw a suspicious person driving on Executive Park Drive near Columbia 100 Parkway and stopped him.
The driver, who was sweating and appeared nervous, matched the description of the robbery suspect and was identified as John Martin.
The officer found a pillowcase filled with money inside the car and arrested Martin, according to the police report.
After interviewing Martin, police also charged him with robbing the 1st Mariner Bank in the 8800 block of Centre Park Drive on Dec. 22.
Martin was charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of theft and second-degree assault against two tellers he allegedly confronted during Tuesday?s incident.
Martin is being held without bail at the Howard County Detention Center.
