No bond reduction for Lima man who allegedly robbed bank

LIMA — A magistrate in Allen County Common Pleas Court on Thursday denied a reduction in bond for a Lima man who prosecutors say robbed a Lima bank.

Brandon Allen, 38, was indicted one year ago by a grand jury on a first-degree felony count of aggravated robbery for allegedly entering the Union Bank on Bellefontaine Avenue and demanding money from a teller. The charge includes a three-year gun specification for the alleged use of a firearm and labels Allen as a repeat violent offender (RVO).

Officers from the Lima Police Department responded on March 8, 2022, to a report of a robbery at the Union Bank, 1410 Bellefontaine St., Lima. Officers learned a man wearing a surgical mask entered the bank, said he had a gun and demanded all the money from the drawer and safe. He left with an unknown amount of money.

During their investigation officers executed a search warrant a few blocks away at 953 Bellefontaine St. in their search for Allen. He was arrested in the area of Jameson and State streets after leading police officers on a foot chase.

Attorney Carrol Creighton of the Allen County Public Defenders Office during Thursday’s hearing asked the court to reduce Allen’s current bond of $150,000 cash or surety to an own-recognizance bond or, short of that, to a lower cash bond. Creighton said his client, who has maintained his innocence throughout the case, has strong family ties to Lima and is not a flight risk.

Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Everhart objected to a reduction in bond, telling Magistrate Anthony DiPietro that Allen has prior convictions that include a “long history of robberies” and other felony offenses.

DiPietro, substituting for Judge Jeffrey Reed, said the seriousness of the allegations against Allen, including his alleged use of a firearm and the RVO designation, did not warrant a reduction in bond.

A jury trial of Allen is scheduled to begin May 30.