Man Robs Same Bank Twice

John Millison, 45, of Drexel Hill, PA, would never be accused of being too smart. In fact it would be hard to believe that Millison even had a brain. It was on August 26, 2003, that he decided to rob the PNC Bank in Marmora, N.J.

He was arrested by Special Agent Joseph Furey of the FBI. He was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $27,072 in restitution. He was released on probation in November 2008.

Fast forward to the afternoon of July 27, 2009; John Millison, wearing a Phillies World Series T-shirt, puts a stocking over his head and decides to rob the very same bank that he went to prison for in 2003. Since the bank robbery went so well, he also hit the Pathmark Pharmacy in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. on the same day.

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FBI Special Agent Joseph Furey working with Woodbine Station detective Michael Stewart on the case, noticed similarities with the 2003 bank robbery and reviewed surveillance photos of the man wearing a stocking over his head. He tentatively identified him as John Millison, the same person he had arrested before in 2003.

They also learned about the robbery at the Pathmark Pharmacy and, over the next week, State Police detectives worked with the FBI and the Egg Harbor Township police to build a case. In both cases no weapon was displayed, nobody was hurt and only a modest amount of money was stolen.

On Tuesday, Aug 4, 2009 at 1:15 p.m., John Millison was located and arrested at a vacant home in the 200 block of North Sacremento Avenue in Ventnor, New Jersey. Although no money was recovered, he was charged with two counts of robbery and placed in Cape May County Jail in lieu of $200,000 cash bail.

According to federal court records, on the day Millison allegedly robbed PNC Bank, he was supposed to submit to a urine test as a condition of his probation. He faces several probation violations for the robbery charges in which he is accused of leaving Pennsylvania without permission.

He also allegedly failed a urine screening, testing positive for cocaine, and missed six other toxicology tests and 14 dates with a court-ordered psychiatrist.

According to authorities, this area has been a frequent target of bank robbers in the past year.

Police are investigating the robbery of Sturdy Savings Bank on 34th Street in Ocean City about a mile from the Marmora bank. Ocean City police said the suspects in the two robberies had different physical descriptions.

Another suspect, Oliver Archer, 29, of Atlantic City, pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbing Ocean City Home Bank across the street from PNC Bank in Marmora on May 8. Ocean City Home Bank in Marmora was robbed a second time on May 11 by three suspects who await trial on that and other bank robberies.

Millison's family had a home on Bay Avenue in Ocean City. Neighbor Margaret Young said she knew an older couple named Millison but was not acquainted with John Millison. She said she was surprised by the high number of bank robberies in her neighborhood.

"To me it's the economy. It seems to bring out the worst in some," she said.

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