Suspect indicted for Lynn bank robberies

SALEM – A New Hampshire man authorities say robbed two Lynn banks in a two-day span in October has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury.Jon Coakley, 39, of 92 Lowell St., #2, Manchester, N.H., is charged with two counts of armed robbery, crimes that could net a potential life sentence behind bars.The two indictments involve holdups at the Salem Five Cent Savings Bank and The River Works Credit Union.On Oct. 29, Coakley is accused of walking into the Salem Five Cent Savings Bank, located at 35 Boston St. in Lynn, reportedly wearing a dark jack and baseball cap, at around 11:45 a.m.Coakley walked up to the female teller, handed a note demanding cash and fled with about $900.During the commission of the holdup, Coakley reportedly showed the teller what appeared to be a handgun.Then two days later, on Oct. 31, the suspect walked into the River Works Credit Union, again handed a note demanding money and fled with about $2,218 in cash.No weapon was reportedly shown in the robbery. However, the written note, which the robber grabbed as he fled the bank, allegedly indicated he was armed.Police Detective Robert Ferrari, reviewing the bank’s video, recognized the suspect as the robber.Coakley was arrested a few days later and apparently gave a statement implicating himself in the robberies, according to reports.The indictments handed up now move the case from Lynn District Court, where Coakley has pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court, where he will be re-arraigned within a few weeks.In the meantime, he remains held at the Middleton Jail on high bail.Assistant District Attorney John B. Brennan is prosecuting the case for the state.Indictments are not an indication of guilt, rather it is a legal process that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court, allowing for a more severe punishment.