Suspect in Medford, Charlestown Bank Robberies Arrested

A teller at Members Plus Credit Union says she spotted a familiar face behind her in line at Dunkin' Donuts before work Wednesday morning -- the man who passed her a note demanding cash and fled the bank with over $2,000 only two days earlier.

Jason Souza, 29, of Charlestown was arrested near the intersection of McGrath Highway and Mystic Avenue in Somerville on a warrant charge of unarmed robbery Thursday, according to Medford Police.

Police believe Souza robbed the Members Plus Credit Union in Medford Square Monday and the Sovereign Bank on Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown Tuesday.

In both robberies, Souza allegedly wore a hooded sweatshirt and gloves and gave the tellers a note that demanded money and threatened their lives, according to a report written by FBI Bank Robbery Joint Task Force officer John Oliveira.

Souza allegedly made off with $2,055 in the Medford robbery and $500 in Charlestown. He allegedly used a grey minivan that was stolen from the parking lot of Tedeschi's Convenience Store in Medford Monday night in the Charlestown robbery. The van was recovered shortly after the robbery.

Surveillance images from the banks and descriptions from witnesses had already led police to suspect Souza before the coffee-shop sighting Wednesday, according to the report. The joint task force and Medford Police were staking out a home at 23 Cedar Street in Medford, where they believed Souza lived, when they received a report from Medford police headquarters that the teller who was passed the note in the Medford robbery spotted the suspect, the report said.

The teller had stopped at Dunkin' Donuts on Riverside Avenue about 7:30 a.m. on her way to work at the Members Plus Credit Union, the report said. As she waited in line she glanced behind her and spotted the man who passed her the demand note two days earlier, the report said.

"He immediately placed his head down and would not make eye contact with her," Oliveira wrote.

Investigators reviewed the video surveillance from Dunkin' Donuts, which showed a man wearing a baseball cap, a black hooded sweatshirt and track pants, the report said.

Shortly after the spotting at Dunkin' Donuts, Oliveira received a call from Boston police Detective John Boyle, who said he had reviewed surveillance from the robbery in Charlestown and could identify the suspect as Souza, who was known to him, Oliveira's report said.

Souza was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Thursday at an undisclosed location, according to police records. He was arraigned in Somerville District Court Friday morning, where Judge Maurice Flynn set bail at $15,000 cash, $150,000 surety bond. He is expected to appear in court next on June 5 for a hearing.

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