Revere bank robbery suspect arraigned

REVERE – A Cambridge man who allegedly robbed two Revere banks in late September is being held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail following his arraignment in Chelsea District Court.Mark Amerault, 39, stands charged with two counts of armed robbery, stemming from heists at Citizens Bank locations inside Revere supermarkets within days of one another.Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, said Revere police working with FBI agents succeeded in tracking down the suspect.District Court Judge Timothy Gailey set bail in the amount recommended by Assistant District Attorney Nick Brandt and ordered Amerault to return to court today for a probable cause hearing.Brandt told the court that Amerault was identified as the perpetrator of two robberies – one at the Citizens branch in the Squire Road Stop & Shop on Sept. 22 and one in the VFW Parkway Stop & Shop on Sept. 26, according to Wark.In both cases, Amerault approached a teller in the mid-afternoon and passed a note demanding cash and indicating that he had a gun, based on prosecutor statements.Both robberies were captured on surveillance cameras inside the markets.Revere Police, working with federal agents and other local law enforcement agencies, interviewed witnesses to both robberies and showed them photo arrays that included Amerault’s picture. Those witnesses separately identified Amerault as the assailant with a high degree of confidence, said Wark, noting that in light of the identifications and other evidence, Revere police obtained a warrant for Amerault’s arrest. The suspect was located on Sept. 28 at the Hampton Inn on Route 1 in Peabody, interviewed and placed under arrest.Under Massachusetts law, an unarmed assailant may be charged with and convicted of armed robbery if the victim believes the assailant has a weapon, Conley said.Amerault was represented at his arraignment Tuesday by attorney Jamison House. Attorney John Haggerty is expected to be assigned by the court to represent the defendant at his hearing Thursday.