Despite judge's order to avoid banks, man accused of new robbery in Bloomfield

The man charged with robbing a Bloomfield bank on Thursday had been ordered to stay away from financial institutions after his arrest four months earlier on a similar crime.

Police said Aaron Roth brandished a revolver at a Chase Bank in Shadyside in April and made off with $500.

Roth, 36, of Shadyside turned himself in a few hours later and admitted to robbing the bank, according to a criminal complaint.

District Judge Katherine Lovelace released Roth on nonmonetary bail and ordered him to stay away from banks, have no contact with victims or witnesses and comply with mental health treatments.

But police said Roth, clad in a suit and tie, arrived Thursday at the First National Bank on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield with a threatening note he passed to the teller.

It read: “This is a robbery, I have a gun pointed at you, stay calm, I want 20000 dollars,” according to the criminal complaint for the latest incident.

Police said Roth got about $4,500, including some “bait money” with recorded serial numbers, before calmly leaving.

According to police, a neighboring teller didn’t even realize anything was amiss.

After police were called, detectives immediately recognized Roth from the Shadyside robbery, the complaint said.

Within hours, police arrested Roth and recovered the cash.

“The money is from the bank,” police said Roth told them.

Roth admitted to the Bloomfield robbery, but he said he did not actually have a gun with him, police said.

His demand for $20,000 was to settle debts, according to the complaint.

Police said the .357 revolver used in the earlier robbery had been stolen from Roth’s Shadyside landlord. Roth had called the landlord to say he had used the gun in a bank robbery, according to the complaint.

Roth, who was listed as homeless after his arrest this week, is facing five felony charges, including robbery, for the Shadyside heist.

For the Bloomfield incident, Roth is facing additional felony robbery and theft charges.

After Roth’s second arrest, another district judge, Anthony Ceoffe, set bail at $25,000. Roth was unable to post it and remains in the Allegheny County Jail.

Lovelace did not immediately respond to a TribLive request for comment.

A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 21.