Suspect in Avon TD Bank Armed Robbery Appears in Court

A man suspected of robbing the TD Bank in Avon at gunpoint last Sunday was in court on Tuesday and officials believe he might be tied to another bank robbery that happened in town days later.

Patryk Kornas, 40, has been arrested on robbery and drug charges.

A man. disguised with a bandana, sunglasses and a brown baseball hat, entered the 255 West Main Street bank along Route 44 at about 1:20 p.m. last Sunday, approached the teller with a black handgun and said "I don't want to hurt anyone. Just give all the money, large bills," before taking off in a black SUV with more than $2,500 in cash, according to court documents.

When police reviewed surveillance video from a Sam's Gulf Station on West Main Street in Avon, they saw the suspected getaway vehicle, which had a large circular emblem on the front grill. Investigators said the descriptions of the man and the car near the scene matched other cases. 

Police suspect Kornas as the bank robber and expect additional charges to be filed.

Police believe he might also be connected to a second bank robbery that happened in town this weekend, but no charges have been filed yet in that case.

The robbery was reported at Northwest Community Bank at 101 Simsbury Road (Route 10) on Saturday and police said a man with a black handgun and robbed the bank. It's not confirmed whether the two robberies are connected.

Police obtained a search and seizure warrant for an apartment in New Britain based on information received in a collaborative investigation involving Avon, Newington and Wallingford police as well as local FBI authorities. Avon, North Central Municipal Emergency Services Team  and New Britain Emergency Services Team officials and New Britain police searched the address and arrested Kornas on a possession of narcotics charge.

According to court documents, a teen contacted Wallingford police on May 18 about a suspicious incident in town and said she initially thought she saw a black bear in the woods near First Niagra Bank on Main Street in Wallingford, but realized it was a person in dark clothing and blue latex gloves. Police searched the area, but did not find anyone.

Court records also say a Wallingford narcotics detective recognized the man in surveillance photos from the Avon robbery as Kornas. 

The description was also similar to deescriptions from a robbery at Dutch Point Federal Credit Union on Willard Avenue in Newington, police said,

Kornas has been charged with first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery and third-degree larceny in the TD Bank robbery.

He was being held on a $500,000 surety bond and appeared in court on Tuesday.

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