New Info in Northern Michigan Bank Robbery

There’s new information in the Northern Michigan Bank and Trust robbery case in Harvey from last week.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Marquette says the suspect is Justin Dee McLean.

A huge community effort has gone into identifying this man.

Surveillance camera video from the holiday gas station in Harvey showed a green Chevy Malibu turning onto US–41 just after the robbery.

Another vehicle seen in the video belonged to a volunteer firefighter.

He had a video camera mounted on the dashboard, and he gave his video to the Chocolay Township Police.

His camera caught the Chevy Malibu’s license plate number.

It was registered to McLean’s wife.

An FBI agent interviewed McLean’s father, sister and in–laws.

According to a U.S. District Court affidavit, they all were certain that McLean was the man in the surveillance video from the bank.

Nearly $1100 was stolen.

The affidavit claims that the day before the robbery, McLean was scheduled to go to trial downstate in Cheboygan County.

He never showed up in court.

Cheboygan County Circuit Court officials say he was going to trial for larceny from a building, with habitual offender status attached for a fourth offense.

They also say McLean lives in Cheboygan.

The Cheboygan County Prosecutor’s Office issued a felony warrant for absconding.

McLean was arrested on that warrant in Gillette, Wyoming on Sunday.

According to the court affidavit, mclean’s wife told authorities they were driving through the U.P. last week with their 2–year–old daughter.

She said they stopped at a McDonald’s that was part of a strip mall.

The woman said her husband left the car to get food, but when he returned ten minutes later, he didn’t have any food.

McLean’s wife gave the FBI several hundred dollars she says her husband gave her when he was arrested on the downstate warrant.

The money included $20 bills whose serial numbers matched a list of pre–recorded ‘bait bills’ that are used as a tool to track bank robbers.

The teller at the Chocolay branch of Northern Michigan Bank and Trust had those bills in her cash drawer at the time of the robbery.

There’s no word on when McLean’s next court appearance may be or when he will be brought to the U.P. to face the robbery charges.