Man who robbed Elmwood bank arrested in Springfield
By JEFF LAMPE
For The Prairie News
ELMWOOD – John W. Beck didn’t get much time to enjoy his stolen money. Authorities in Springfield on Wednesday apprehended Beck, who has been charged with robbing the Elmwood Community Bank Tuesday at approximately 10:41 a.m.
U.S. Marshals located Beck, 54, in a Springfield hotel where they found a red pipe he brandished while robbing the Elmwood bank, marked cash and a prostitute. Beck fled officers on foot, but was caught after a brief chase.
According to Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell, Beck was taken to Sangamon County Jail and will be extradited to Livingston County, which has a warrant for his arrest stemming from an April 8 armed robbery of the Odell Bank.
Beck is also believed to be the man who entered a stolen white Toyota Prius in the 100 block of East Cypress Street in Elmwood after robbing the Elmwood bank, located on the corner of North Magnolia and Evergreen streets. Footage from a homeowner’s doorbell camera on East Cypress Street helped identify the vehicle and the thief, who was photographed in the bank wearing a camouflage hat and mask and carrying a pipe. The same white Toyota was parked at the Springfield hotel.
At the time of the robbery, three employees were in the Elmwood bank, which was later closed for the day. There were no injuries reported.
Within a few hours after Tuesday’s robbery, Asbell called Beck “a person of interest.” Beck was released on parole last August after serving part of a 25-year sentence for a 2008 bank robbery in Champaign County.
Beck is also a suspect in an April 19 hold-up at a Paxton convenience store and has previously been arrested in Piatt, Macon, Sangamon and Adams counties. In Livingston County, Beck was convicted of five counts of forgery in 1993. At that time, he was also charged with three counts of forgery and one count of aggravated robbery in Sangamon County, two counts of aggravated robbery in Macon County and in Piatt County, one count of theft of $300-$10,000, aggravated battery and theft of $10,000-$100,000.
In addition to Elmwood police, officers responded from Farmington, Yates City, Knox County and from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department. Morton Community Bank security staff were also on the scene.
