City National Bank in Berkeley Springs following the June 4 robbery.
by Trish Rudder
The man who was arrested for allegedly robbing City National Bank in Berkeley Springs on Tuesday, June 4 is in Eastern Regional Jail awaiting a preliminary hearing.
Steven L. Silverman photo from ERJ
Steven L. Silverman, 49, of no fixed address, was taken into custody on Friday, June 7 by Berkeley Springs Police Chief, T.J. Johnson.
The crime was investigated by Chief Johnson along with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
According to the criminal complaint, Chief Johnson was at the bank on Friday when he saw Silverman walking down the sidewalk in the bank’s direction and recognized him from the investigation.
Chief Johnson said on Monday that during the arrest, Silverman was wearing the same dark hat and similar dark shirt and the same sneakers that matched the bank surveillance video from the robbery.
Chief Johnson said the bank tellers watched the arrest through the drive-through teller’s window and made a positive identification of Silverman as the man who robbed their bank three days earlier.
Silverman refused to answer any questions, said Chief Johnson, who was assisted by Morgan County Sheriff Bohrer and Sheriff’s Department deputies Tony Link and Luke Shambaugh.
Investigators learned information about the possible vehicles he might have used including his girlfriend’s silver Ford Fusion.
When Silverman was arrested, he had a Ford key fob in his pants pocket.
Sheriff Bohrer activated the alarm on the key fob and found it was parked in front of CJ’s Florist, near the bank. The car was backed into a parking spot, not pulled in as customarily done at this location.
From Tuesday to Friday
According to the criminal complaint, on Tuesday afternoon, June 4, a white male later identified as Silverman walked into the bank, presented a note to the teller reading “give me all the money no die pack. T[h]ey have my son don’t hit alarm or they will kill him please.”
The teller gave him $1,730 in marked U.S. currency and the suspect left, walking out the front door where he came in. Police believe Silverman left the downtown area in a vehicle.
Sheriff Bohrer wrote in the complaint that on Wednesday, June 5, he was informed that the subject in the bank surveillance photos looked like a suspect in a May 30 bank robbery in New Market, Md. The robber’s note was similar, “Give me all money no die pack Ill leave peacefully!”
In May, Maryland police released Silverman from custody but Frederick County, Md. investigators are in the process of continuing their investigation to solidify charges in that crime, Bohrer wrote.
Based on the investigation, eyewitness identification and officers who had watched the robbery surveillance video, Silverman was charged with Unarmed Robbery, a felony.
Silverman’s bail bond amount is $150,000.
His preliminary hearing in Morgan County Magistrate Court is set for Friday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
