City Police Charge Pair in Bank Robbery

By Kimberly Lenz Friday, April 16, 2010

Two men from outside Richmond have been arrested in connection with the April 7 robbery of the BB&T bank on Second Street in Williamsburg.

Joseph A. Keeter, 27, who lists no permanent address and David J. Morelle, 30, of the 14800 block of Creekpoint Circle in Midlothian are charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the Williamsburg incident. Both suspects are being held without bond in the Chesterfield County Jail.

Williamsburg Police Investigator Michael Rice said the pair is connected to five other bank robberies that occurred between March 10 and April 9 in Colonial Heights, Richmond, Spotsylvania and Chesterfield County. Rice said the pair indicated during their interview that addiction issues prompted the string of robberies.

The two men were arrested in Petersburg and Chesterfield County between 4:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Williamsburg Police are working with law enforcement agencies from the other jurisdictions on the area bank robberies. The two men have been charged in the Richmond and Chesterfield County bank robberies as well. Other investigations are still pending.

Rice said other jurisdictions contacted Williamsburg investigators after the BB&T robbery. Two days after the robbery here, the pair allegedly robbed a Chesterfield bank. A tip to the Richmond-area crime line led investigators to Keeter, who went to a bank near the Chesterfield robbery location to deposit checks, using his name and wearing the same clothes as police believe he wore during the Chesterfield robbery.

The pair did not display or imply a weapon during the robberies, Rice said, but did give the Williamsburg teller a note demanding cash. He added that the men made statements about addictions, and said they did not target the Williamsburg bank but were just "passing through."