FAYETTEVILLE -- Fayetteville police say DNA testing has linked a man arrested in connection with robbing a bank in April to the December robbery of the same bank.
Richard Varnell, 42, of Bald Knob was arrested hours after the April 19 robbery at Centennial Bank, 3010 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Money from the robbery was found in his possession, according to a police report.
Police noted several similarities in the two robberies. The same approach and fleeing path were used in both robberies. The disguises used were items later determined to have been shoplifted or bought at a Walmart store.
Varnell bought a bus ticket to leave Fayetteville on April 19, the day of the robbery, police said. It was confirmed he bought a bus ticket to leave Fayetteville on Dec. 7, 2018, the date of the first robbery, according to the report.
Items of clothing related to the December robbery and clothing tags related to the April 19 robbery were found in the wooded area near the bank.
In the December robbery, a bank employee said the suspect was clean shaven, with dark eyes and a scar below his bottom lip. When Varnell was arrested on April 19 he had a beard. Police obtained a search warrant to have Varnell's face shaved and documented a scar in the same area of his face.
The clothing found after the December robbery had been sent to the State Crime Lab for DNA testing. On April 29, Fayetteville police received a report saying a DNA profile had been identified that matched a DNA sample obtained from Varnell.
Varnell was still being held in the Washington County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond in connection with the April 19 robbery. Police said he's now been arrested in connection with the December robbery. According to information from the Detention Center, Varnell is set to appear in Washington County Circuit Court on May 20.
NW News on 05/01/2019