@ecutts_HG
NORTHAMPTON — A Northampton man accused of robbing a TD Bank downtown last October is being held on $100,000 bail following his arraignment in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday.
Sean E. Moynihan, 42, pleaded not guilty to a charge of unarmed robbery. He is being represented by attorney Alan Rubin. The bail amount is the same as what was set in Northampton District Court for his Oct. 16, 2017 arraignment.
Moynihan’s next Superior Court date is scheduled for Feb. 6. Northwestern District Attorney Jayme Parent told the judge Tuesday that there is a “some potential that date could become a change of plea.”
On Oct. 14, 2017, Northampton Police responded to the TD Bank on Main Street just before 9 a.m. for a report of a man who had just robbed the bank. The man allegedly handed a female teller a piece of paper which read “THIS IS A ROBBERY PUT THE MONEY ON THE COUNTER DONT DO ANYTHING STUPID I HAVE A GUN,” according to court documents.
The teller, nervous and afraid, began initiating bank training provided to her in case of such situations. After handing the man approximately $500, he allegedly leaned closer and told her to give him the large bills and not to hit the alarm, according to court documents.
After receiving the money, the man left the bank. The teller then hit the bank’s panic alarm. The teller and two other bank employees working at the time described the man who robbed the bank to police as a white man with scruffy facial hair and 130 to 150 pounds.
Using bank security footage, police posted a photo of the man to the department’s Facebook page and asked for the public’s help in identifying him. A woman called police around 9:20 p.m. that same day and told police it was Moynihan.
She allegedly told officers that if she had a million dollars, she would bet it on Moynihan being the culprit. Moynihan was previously arrested for unarmed robbery in Northampton in 2004 and for another robbery in Springfield in March 2017, according to court documents.
Springfield Police located Moynihan the following day at a bus station. At the time of his arrest, police allegedly found a large amount of cash inside his shorts pockets and a hat that matched that of the robbery suspect.
When police interviewed Moynihan, “he was extremely honest” and “nearly immediately admitted to conducting the robbery,” according to court documents. He allegedly told police he was unarmed during the robbery and did it because he had no money, nothing to lose and didn’t care what would happen to him.
Moynihan told police he used some of the money to settle several drug debts and then purchase $350 worth of heroin and cocaine, according to court documents.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.
