John Ryder, Bank Robbery by Force, Violence and Intimidation, Rhode Island 2016

A brazen bank robbery in Coventry left residents shaken and authorities working overtime to track down the culprit. But after a month-long investigation, 28-year-old John Ryder of West Warwick was taken into custody and charged with Bank Robbery by Force, Violence and Intimidation.

The crime occurred on May 2, 2016, at a BankRI branch office in Coventry. Ryder, wielding a machete, demanded cash from bank tellers, making off with nearly $6,000.

Ryder's guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Coventry Police Chief John S. MacDonald, and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the FBI.

According to court documents, Ryder spent time in and around the shopping plaza where the bank is located, as well as in a wooded area directly behind the plaza, in the days leading up to the robbery. He was seen on video surveillance fleeing the area after the heist.

Law enforcement interviewed Ryder on May 6, 2016, and four days later obtained a court-authorized search warrant to search his cell phone. On Ryder's cell phone, they discovered pictures of an individual wearing the same clothing and mask as worn by the bank robber. The photograph was taken in the wooded area behind the shopping plaza.

Ryder was arrested by Coventry Police Detectives and FBI agents, with the assistance of the West Warwick Police Department, on May 13, 2016. He has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.

Ryder is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on January 20, 2017. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/pr/west-warwick-resident-admits-robbing-coventry-bank