- April 22, 2024
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An Indiana man has been arrested in connection with the 2009 armed robbery of the Floridian Bank in Palm Coast after Flagler County Sheriff’s Investigators matched his DNA with DNA left at the scene.
Antonio Aviles, 27, of Fort Wayne, was returned to Flagler County earlier today after being arrested by Fort Wayne Police on a Flagler County warrant charging him with armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and grand theft over $300.
Sheriff’s investigators said Aviles was one of the two men who barged into the bank on Boulder Rock Drive around 4 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2009 and fired two shots into the bank’s ceiling while demanding money.
Investigators said Aviles struck the bank manager on the head with the gun before fleeing the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. The second robber, Antonio Clark, 27, of Jacksonville, was arrested July 20, 2012, on charges of grand theft and being a principle to armed robbery after he was located in the Jacksonville jail on unrelated charges.
Aviles and Clark both were linked to the robbery through DNA collected at the scene.
“This is an excellent example of just how valuable DNA analysis is to our investigations,” said Sheriff Jim Manfre. “We were able to identify the robber and locate him through a central DNA database that is available to law enforcement.”
Flagler County Sheriff’s Investigator Elizabeth Conrad located Aviles with the assistance of Fort Wayne Police Department, which had obtained a DNA sample from Aviles during an unrelated investigation. The DNA sample was added to a nationwide database.
Aviles was not arrested in connection with the Indiana case, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement accessed the database and notified Flagler County investigators of the DNA match. The evidence led to the issuance of a warrant for Aviles.
Investigator Conrad then contacted the Indiana police agency so it could serve the warrant.
Aviles is being held in the Flagler County Detention Facility with a $200,000 bond. Clark is also being held in the Flagler County Detention Facility with a $175,000 bond.
