From Cheektowaga Police:
On March 22nd Thomas Blachowski, 52, was arrested by Cheektowaga Police Detectives and charged with robbing three separate Citizens Bank locations within the past week. Blachowski has been charged with the March 18th attempt to rob the Citizens Bank inside the Tops Market at 700 Thruway Plaza and with thesuccessful robbery of the Citizens Bank at 1722 Walden in the Target Plaza just nine minutes later. Blachowski is additionally charged with robbing a third Citizens Bank on March 21st inside the Tops Market at 3865 Union Rd.
At 10:50am on the 18th a teller at the Citizens Bank inside the Thruway Plaza Tops had refused to hand over cash to the then-unknown male suspect when ordered to do so. After this attempt, the suspect was observed getting into a waiting taxi which was thenseen leaving the lot. At 10:59am, a report of another robbery, this time at the 1722 Walden Ave Citizens location, was put out to patrol. On police arrival, it was learned that the same male seen at Tops had successfully robbed cash from a bank teller after making threats do to harm if his demand was not met. Cheektowaga Police detectives gathered information and were able to determine that Thomas Blachowski, already on parole for a bank robbery in 2019 was the suspect. Cheektowaga Police also soon learned that a Village of Depew bank robbery had occurred on March 17th and that based on descriptions, Blachowski was the likely suspect in that occurrence as well.
Attempts to locate Blachowski over the weekend were unsuccessful and on Monday March 21st another Cheektowaga bank was robbed. Just after 10:00am Monday, Cheektowaga Police dispatchers received a call from the Citizens Bank inside the Tops Market at 3865 Union Rd with a report that they had just been robbed. A white male suspect stole of a large amount of cash after threatening a teller with violence. Detectives again identified Blachowski as the suspect.
Investigators were able to gather further information and learned that Thomas Blachowski was staying at a motel in Tonawanda. Police detectives from Cheektowaga and Depew set up surveillance on the Route 62 Motel at 1900 Niagara Falls Boulevard and were able to apprehend Blachowski Tuesday evening. Upon his arrest,Blachowski was in possession of felony-weight crack cocaine. Evidence linking him to the robbery spree was also found and collected.
Thomas Blachowski was charged in Cheektowaga with 2 counts of Robbery 1st, Robbery 3rd, Grand Larceny, Petit Larceny, Criminal Possession of a Narcotic Drug 4th and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 5th. Blachowski was arraigned in Cheektowaga Town Court Wednesday morning.
Offenders name is pronounced “Bla-howski”
March 23, 2022
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