Bufordsecurity 
A Michigan City man has been fined $60,000 on felony armed robbery charges after police said he hid in nearby trash after attempting to rob a bank that was the scene of a fatal robbery attempt more than 20 years ago. He is being held in Porter County Jail on bond.
Porter County Sheriff’s Department agents arrested Tyler James Russ, 31, shortly after an attempted robbery on December 1, according to a police report.
Police were called to the First State Bank of Porter at 4136 EUS 12, Pine Township about an attempted armed robbery at approximately 8:28 am on Friday.
An agent said officials from the Beverly Shores Police Department were already at the scene and provided a description of Russ, the items left at the scene, and the directions Russ took when he left the bank.
A Beverly Shores police officer who guards the bank reported being confronted by a white man carrying a rucksack and what appeared to be a firearm. When he saw that the police were also armed, he ran.
Police said Russ’ firearm was found to be fake and his belongings were left in the bank.
Lawmakers began tracking the area on K9 Nova, which led them to a house on the 1600 block of Poplar Street. The front yard homeowner said he had never seen a suspect matching the police description, but later told police he had seen a home security camera that showed the man running behind the shed. Told.
The hut was locked, but next to it were three large trash cans. While police searched each can, the last one had movement. Police made multiple announcements before turning over the trash can.
Police confirmed that a man matching the description was inside the can and that it was the same suspect that bank security had seen at the bank.
Online court records show that his case has been assigned to Porter Superior Court Judge Mary DeVore, but Russ has yet to receive an initial hearing. Armed robbery is a level 3 felony.
Two bank tellers, Kay Peccutt, 52, and Chandler Simpson, 59, were killed in a botched robbery in 2002, and the security guard survived but was paralyzed from the waist down. I was left alone.
alavalley@chicagotribun.com
