A Belleville man on parole from a 2014 federal bank robbery conviction is being held on a $1 million bond after he was charged Monday with robbing an Independence Township credit union.
Shannon Donald Sexton, 53, was charged with one count of bank robbery in connection with Thursday’s (Oct. 19) robbery of the Vibe Credit Union branch office in the 6580 block of Dixie Highway.
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Police say the 53-year-old man was arrested less than 24 hours after the robbery occurred.
Sexton has a lengthy criminal history, which includes multiple convictions for breaking and entering, police say. His parole on the federal bank robbery conviction was to end in 2025.
“I am proud of our team and the quick, diligent, and great police work that allowed them to identify and take a suspect into custody in such a short period of time,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Police say Sexton also had bank robbery convictions in 2010 in state court from bank robberies in Roseville and St. Clair Shores, where he was sentenced to 30-40 years in prison on those convictions before getting paroled on April 16, 2023.
Sexton was said to have entered the branch, handed the teller a note that announced the robbery, and instructed the teller to empty the cash drawer.
Witnesses said Sexton was wearing a neon yellow/green hoodie, blue face mask, and dark sunglasses before quickly leaving the credit union and running north towards the Speedway gas station with an undisclosed amount of money.
Detectives said they were able to identify Sextons’ vehicle, which was connected to a rental agency, and detectives tracked it to a location in Pontiac where he was arrested Friday afternoon during a traffic stop.