Medina robbery suspects charged in federal court
Couple is accused of numerous other robberies throughout northern Ohio
Casey Liberty is believed to be the suspect seen in surveillance video who robbed a Chase Bank in Medina Sept. 28. Her co-defendant, Daniel Begin, was seen outside the business and was reportedly the getaway driver. Submitted photo
CLEVELAND – A couple suspected in a spree of bank and store robberies throughout northern Ohio are also believed to have held up Chase Bank in Medina Sept. 28.
Elyria Police arrested Casey Liberty, 30, of Amherst, and Daniel Begin, 32, of Columbia Station, Oct. 23 on aggravated robbery charges for allegedly holding up a Gamestop Oct. 7 and a Subway Oct. 16.
After their arrest, area police agencies suspected the couple were involved in numerous robberies of banks and other businesses as the tall, thin woman seen in surveillance video is believed to have been Liberty, said Sgt. Brett McNabb of the Medina Police Department.
Some of other robberies occurred in Fairlawn, North Olmsted, Avon, Perkins Township near Sandusky and Conneaut in Ashtabula County, records show, and the same blue Chevrolet Cobalt was reportedly used as the getaway vehicle after each incident.
McNabb said a Medina detective interviewed the couple separately at the Lorain County Jail soon after their arrest, but both had difficulty with the interviews as they had to stop due to experiencing heroin and crack withdrawal symptoms.
Begin reportedly admitted their involvement, adding he was usually outside the robbery scenes as the getaway driver or passenger. Records show Begin reported the robberies were spurred by the couple’s addiction to drugs and Liberty recently losing her job.
Liberty reportedly did not want Begin to be involved in the robberies, but he decided to accompany her out of concern for her safety. They started committing robberies far from their Lorain County home, the first Sept. 19 in Conneaut, so they would not be known, but it became less of a concern as time went on and stayed closer to home.
In the Conneaut robbery, Liberty entered the bank wearing a wig and handed an index card to the teller demanding robbery and adding an armed robber was outside the business, federal court records show.
The couple has been charged both in federal court on charges of complicity to commit bank robbery and in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on and aggravated robbery charges for the store robberies.
McNabb said federal authorities have been authorized to handle the prosecution of the Medina incident and the other bank robberies.
They are both being held in the Lorain County Jail.
Elyria Police arrested Casey Liberty, 30, of Amherst, and Daniel Begin, 32, of Columbia Station, Oct. 23 on aggravated robbery charges for allegedly holding up a Gamestop Oct. 7 and a Subway Oct. 16.
After their arrest, area police agencies suspected the couple were involved in numerous robberies of banks and other businesses as the tall, thin woman seen in surveillance video is believed to have been Liberty, said Sgt. Brett McNabb of the Medina Police Department.
Some of other robberies occurred in Fairlawn, North Olmsted, Avon, Perkins Township near Sandusky and Conneaut in Ashtabula County, records show, and the same blue Chevrolet Cobalt was reportedly used as the getaway vehicle after each incident.
McNabb said a Medina detective interviewed the couple separately at the Lorain County Jail soon after their arrest, but both had difficulty with the interviews as they had to stop due to experiencing heroin and crack withdrawal symptoms.
Begin reportedly admitted their involvement, adding he was usually outside the robbery scenes as the getaway driver or passenger. Records show Begin reported the robberies were spurred by the couple’s addiction to drugs and Liberty recently losing her job.
Liberty reportedly did not want Begin to be involved in the robberies, but he decided to accompany her out of concern for her safety. They started committing robberies far from their Lorain County home, the first Sept. 19 in Conneaut, so they would not be known, but it became less of a concern as time went on and stayed closer to home.
In the Conneaut robbery, Liberty entered the bank wearing a wig and handed an index card to the teller demanding robbery and adding an armed robber was outside the business, federal court records show.
The couple has been charged both in federal court on charges of complicity to commit bank robbery and in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on and aggravated robbery charges for the store robberies.
McNabb said federal authorities have been authorized to handle the prosecution of the Medina incident and the other bank robberies.
They are both being held in the Lorain County Jail.
