Crime & Safety

Police: Homeless Man Took Cab From Local Bar After Robbing Lemont Bank

Gerald C. Tysko, a 33-year-old man described by a police as a "serial bank robber," was charged Thursday with bank robbery and aggravated robbery. Bond has been set at $250,000.

A 33-year-old homeless man has been charged in connection with Tuesday's , Lemont police said.

Gerald C. Tysko, who police describe as a "serial bank robber," was arrested at 4 a.m. Wednesday, roughly 11 hours after a robbery was reported at the branch at 1201 State St. Tysko was charged with bank robbery and aggravated robbery, police said.

Bond was set Thursday at $250,000, according to Lemont police. As of 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Tysko was awaiting transportation to the Cook County Department of Corrections.

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Tysko has a prior conviction for bank robbery and is considered a serial bank robber, Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy said in a press release Thursday afternoon.

According to Shaughnessy, Tysko's last-known address was in Oak Lawn, but he was most recently living at a local motel.

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Police responded to a hold-up alarm at Lemont National Bank around 5 p.m. Tuesday. Employees reported a man had handed a note demanding money to the teller, police said.

After the man implied he had a weapon, the teller complied and the man fled the bank, according to police.

Once the suspect was identified as Tysko, numerous sightings were reported in Lemont, which yielded several leads, police said. He was eventually tracked to the Cloud Nine Motel, 8440 South Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview.

No one was injured in the robbery, and Tysko was unarmed at the time of his arrest, police said.

On Tuesday night, a source from a local cab company told Patch that Tysko called a cab from a Lemont bar following the bank robbery. The cab company was reportedly contacted by Lemont police shortly after the incident, and they tracked Tysko's cab to the Bridgeview motel.

Shaughnessy confirmed the report Thursday afternoon.

Units from the Cook County Sheriff's Police, Cook County Forest Preserve Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted the Lemont Police Department in the search.

Employees at the Lemont National Bank recently received training from the FBI and Lemont police concerning bank robberies, Shaughnessy said.

"That training proved beneficial in the identification and apprehension of the offender," he said.

Shaughnessy praised the bank employees for the quick action, as well as the FBI and Lemont police officers for their cooperation and aggressive follow-up.

Tysko's next court date has yet to be scheduled, police said.


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