Lakewood Bank Robbery Suspect Appears In Court

The suspect who robbed the Investors Savings Bank on Feb 19 reported here on the TLS, appeared in court on Friday and entered a not guilty plea. Peter A. Bielecke, 40, was indicted by a federal grand jury that charged him with robbing several banks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle told the judge that Bielecke faces up to 20 years in prison on each count of robbery. Bielecke was arrested March 5. According to the indictment, he robbed: $1,851 from Provident Bank in Brick on Jan. 29. $1,385 from an Investors Savings Bank in Brick Feb. 5. $1,435 from a Sovereign Bank in Toms River Feb. 12. $1,323 from an Investors Savings Bank in Lakewood Feb. 19. $2,881 from the Garden State Community Bank in Howell Feb. 27. and about $3,000 from a Synergy Bank in Old Bridge March 5. The investigation into the bank robberies was handled by the FBI's Red Bank office, the prosecutor's offices in Ocean and Monmouth counties, the Ocean County Sheriff's Department, and police in Brick, Toms River, Lakewood, Howell, Old Bridge, Wall, Berkeley, Jackson, Manchester and Point Pleasant. app.