FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — Police have linked a Fayetteville bank robbery suspect to a 2018 robbery at the same bank through DNA, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Richard Varnell, 42, of Bald Knob was arrested April 22 in connection with aggravated robbery after allegedly stealing an undisclosed amount of cash from Centennial Bank on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Police say Varnell also robbed the bank in December 2018 before leaving town.
The state Crime Lab found DNA on a jacket linked to the robbery matched Varnell's profile.
Police noted the robberies had several similarities, including the same approach and fleeing path, the disguises were shoplifted from Walmart, and clothing linked to the robberies were abandoned in the same spot in the woods.
Varnell was being held Tuesday (April 30) at the Washington County Detention Center on a $27,600 bond.
His arraignment for the most recent robbery is set for May 20.