Crime & Safety

Man Charged in Groton Bank Robbery Linked To Multiple Robberies in Three States

Cahill charged with robbery, larceny in connection with the robbery at Citizens Bank on Long Hill Road in June 2007.

A man charged Friday in a Groton bank robbery in 2007 is linked to seven other robberies or attempted robberies at banks and pharmacies in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia, according to court documents.

David R. Cahill, 36, who went to jail after pleading guilty to robberies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, was picked up by New Jersey State Police  immediately after his release from federal prison. Cahill had an outstanding warrant from Groton.

Cahill waived extradition and was brought back to town by detectives Friday. His case was transferred on Monday to New London Superior Court’s Part A, which handles serious felonies. He is being held on a $150,000 bond.

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Cahill was charged with first-degree robbery and third-degree larceny in connection with the robbery at Citizens Bank at 816 Long Hill Road on June 11, 2007.

'I have a gun'

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According to an arrest warrant application, a bank teller said she watched a man wait in line, then approach her and hand her a note.

“The note read, ‘Give me your money, I have a gun,’” the arrest warrant said. “(The teller,) fearing for her life, complied with the suspect’s request. (She) emptied the cash drawer onto the counter.”

The man then grabbed the money and ran out the back door, the warrant application said.

A bank audit showed $4,802 was stolen.

The teller said she also remembers the man wore gloves, the warrant said.

Other robberies

The warrant also linked Cahill to robberies or attempted robberies at these banks or pharmacies:

  • Bank of America in Warwick, R.I. on May 31, 2007
  • Citizens Bank in Groton, Conn. on June, 11, 2007
  • Sovereign Bank in Lowell, Mass. on June 13, 2007 (attempted robbery)
  • Citizens Bank in Cranston, R.I. on June 15, 2007 (attempted robbery)
  • CVS in Bellingham, Mass. on August 14, 2007
  • CVS in Bourne, Mass. on Nov. 21, 2007
  • CVS in Woonsocket, R.I. on Dec. 12, 2007
  • CVS in Cranston R.I. on Jan. 6, 2008 and Feb. 1, 2008.

The warrant said that in April 2008, a detective from Woonsocket, R.I. contacted Groton police and explained that the FBI along with agencies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were investigating a series of robberies from May 2007 to Feb. 2008.

The detective said a task force had identified Cahill as the suspect.

Rhode Island then obtained an arrest warrant for Cahill and searched his house.

Drug addiction

The warrant said Cahill told police he was addicted to the painkiller Oxycodone, had gone into debt, and was robbing banks and pharmacies to pay the debt and support his drug habit.

The warrant from Groton said Cahill was identified as the suspect in the bank robberies, including the one in Groton, through photos taken at banks and pharmacies.

It added, “. . .During the bank robberies, Cahill passed a note demanding money. The note read that, ‘I have a gun. Give me the money. No alarms and no one will get hurt.’

“The wording of the note in the Citizens Bank robbery in Groton is consistent with the note used in the R.I. bank robberies. Cahill stated that he used the same note in each bank robbery and would take it back with him after each robbery.”

Cahill, whose last known address was 38 Hartford Avenue East in Mendon, Mass., told police he drove an hour and a half to Connecticut, where he robbed the bank in Groton, the warrant said.


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