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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Police released new information Tuesday about a Monday afternoon bank robbery in St. Clairsville.
City Police Chief Matt Arbenz said via email that Jeremy R. Martin, 30, of Bedford, Ohio, and DeAndre C. Thorington, 32, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, were taken into custody Monday following the robbery of Premier Bank at Plaza West near Riesbeck's Food Market.
According to police, a man entered the bank and gave a teller a note stating he had a weapon and demanding money.
A few minutes later, law enforcement observed a vehicle like the teller described, a Nissan sedan, heading west on Interstate 70. It reportedly picked up speed in an attempt to flee.
The pursuit included St. Clairsville police, Belmont and Guernsey County sheriff's deputies, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol as well as the FBI participated in the pursuit, which ended in a crash at Slaughter Hill Road.
The robbery occurred around 1 p.m. and the chase concluded about 10 to 15 minutes after 2 p.m.
On Tuesday, Arbenz said the sedan will be searched after a warrant is signed. He did not know when the two men might be transported from the Guernsey County Jail back to Belmont County.
"Our report has been sent to the prosecutor's office. It will be up to them what the official charges will be," Arbenz said, adding that he had no other information about the FBI's involvement.
"Right now, Guernsey County sheriff is in charge of everything that happened up there. We are still pushing forward with the investigation of the bank robbery.
"Until we're told that it's being transferred to the feds, we're going to continue to push forward with it," he said.
Premier Bank was closed early Monday after the robbery, but it was open for business Tuesday.
"It's always an unfortunate situation for employees, but we try to support them in any way we can, but I really can't comment on any additional part of an ongoing investigation," Chief Marketing Officer Kathy Bushway said.
The Wheeling office of the FBI has not responded to calls seeking comment.