By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Investigators continue to chase down leads but are still looking for a suspect who they believe has now robbed at least two banks in Northern Indiana.

On Dec. 4 an unknown male suspect entered the Plymouth branch of 1st Source bank and produced a note demanding money. He escaped just minutes later with an undetermined amount of cash.
Investigators believe that the same suspect entered a bank in Valparaiso on Dec. 12 and once again escaped with an undetermined amount of cash.
“Looking at surveillance video from the bank we are certain it’s the same guy,” said Plymouth Police Department Investigator Steve DeLee. “He was wearing the same thing he had on in the Plymouth robbery. He had on the same Carhart coat, the same pants; the only difference between the two was at Valpo he was wearing a baseball cap. In the robbery at Plymouth he was wearing a stocking cap.”
Physically the two videos show the same features – a stocky white male with facial hair. It is the best facial description investigators have been able to come up with.
“He has about two or three day’s growth of beard in the Valpo video as well,” said DeLee. “It goes along with the description we had of having a ‘dirty face.’”
Detectives in Valpo were able to make contact with Plymouth Police after their robbery thanks to a database employed by DeLee after the Plymouth robbery.
“I put up surveillance video and other information on a listserv that we have for crimes like this,” said DeLee. “Detectives in Valpo had seen the tape and were able to compare it and we realized it was the same guy.”
Both police departments have contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the information on the crime for the agency’s database and have also requested that the agency aid them in apprehending the suspect. There has been no word from the FBI on whether or not they will become involved in the case.
“We have no idea who the guy is,” said DeLee. “There has been speculation that he’s coming down U.S. 30 from somewhere in Illinois. I contacted Starke County police thinking that that’s about halfway between Plymouth and Valpo but they can’t identify the guy either. Every lead we’ve had on identity has turned out to be a dead end.”
For now both departments will continue to share information until a solid lead develops.
“If we get solid information on a suspect and believe that we can make an arrest, we’ll probably do that together,” said DeLee. “For right now we’re just trading emails and phone calls, staying in touch on any information.”