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Batavia men being held without bond

One of them also accused of robbing motel, 2 restaurants

Two men were charged Friday with the robbery of the Elgin State Bank on Wednesday.

And one of them, already charged with robbing Subway restaurants last year in Batavia and North Aurora, was charged Friday with robbing the Super 8 Motel in St. Charles.

Bank robbery charges were filed in federal court against Douglas Kelley, 27, and Lucas G. Marin, 29, both of Batavia.

Kelley was arrested Wednesday by Elgin police after the stop of a suspected getaway vehicle, according to the FBI. Marin was arrested early Thursday morning by Batavia police.

Here is the federal complaint’s account of the bank robbery:

The two entered Elgin State Bank, 1590 N. McLean Blvd., Elgin, just before 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Both had their faces concealed and were armed with handguns, which were later determined to be pellet guns, They announced a robbery, demanded money from several teller drawers and received $2,800. Kelley told a teller “this is no joke” and threatened to shoot if he heard any alarms or police.

A security dye pack was in the money, and it went off when they left the bank. Kelley began to cough when the dye pack exploded and threw the “smoking” money out of the car, which was driven by a woman who has not been charged. A bystander sitting in a car outside the bank saw the men running from the bank and followed them once they entered a vehicle, then called Elgin police.

Robert D. Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, praised Elgin and Batavia police and the “selfless efforts” of the witness.

“The public’s cooperation has been a cornerstone of law enforcement in the United States for over 200 years. It is gratifying to see that spirit is alive and well,” Grant said.

Kelley and Marin are in federal custody. They appeared Friday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow in Chicago and are being held without bail. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The legal charges continued to mount for Kelley.

St. Charles police announced late Friday afternoon he is being charged with robbing a Super 8 motel on Dec. 29. Bail has been set at $300,000 in that case.

And Friday morning Kelley appeared in Kane County bond court before Judge Karen Simpson, charged with robbing a Subway restaurant in North Aurora on Nov. 28. Bail was set at $300,000 in that case.

Kelley, of the 1100 block of Lorlyn Lane, said he worked part-time at a St. Charles bar and lived in the area about four months with his girlfriend.

Kelley acknowledged he’d been to prison three times and is still on parole for residential burglary charges after his release last July. He also started to dispute what he may have said after he was arrested by Elgin police Wednesday night.

“When they arrested me last night, I made certain statements ...” Kelley told Simpson before she cut him off and told him he had a right to remain silent and that a prosecutor was standing next to him.

“They wrote down and had me sign stuff I didn’t know I was signing,” Kelley persisted.

The FBI agent investigating the case said Marin and Kelley confessed.

Kelley is also charged with robbing the Subway in Batavia on Nov. 23.

All three of the local robberies are felonies; he could be sentenced to six to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Batavia police detective Kevin Bretz said Elgin police called Batavia and North Aurora police after Kelley made statements that led police to believe he might be involved in Subway robberies in those towns. Elgin police also called St. Charles, believing Kelley matched the description and video of the Super 8 robber St. Charles police had distributed.

According to St. Charles police, the FBI had seized clothing and other evidence they believe is tied to the bank robbery and the Super 8 robbery.

Kelley is next due in Kane County court Jan. 27 on the North Aurora charge.

Authorities in Elgin, Streamwood and Geneva said they also are investigating whether Kelley was involved in other armed robberies in those suburbs Dec. 2, 6 and 8, respectively.

Man gets away with cash at Super 8

Third suspect arrested this morning in Elgin bank robbery

Suspect in Elgin bank robbery charged in Subway robberies

Lucas Marin
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