2 women charged in $35K McCandless bank robbery

An anonymous tip led McCandless police to two women suspected of robbing a PNC Bank of more than $35,000 last year, according to charges filed against the women.

Jasmine Parrish, 29, and Donna Poremski, 42, are both charged with robbery, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and carrying a firearm without a license.

The robbery happened Sept. 6. The woman made off with $35,500, which they split, police said.

An employee at the PNC Bank on McKnight Road told police that a heavyset woman came to her teller station and tried exchanging cash for smaller denominations, according to the criminal complaint. The teller said she was suspicious, and the woman, later identified as Parrish, turned and left.

As she walked out, the teller told police, Parrish gave a small nod to a woman wearing a black wig, later identified as Poremski, according to the complaint.

Poremski allegedly wrote a nonsensical message on a banking slip, and the only readable words were, “I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” police wrote in the complaint. At that point, Poremski allegedly pulled out a black handgun.

Investigators said Poremski ordered all employees into the bank vault and demanded they fill her pink and purple tote bag. The women fled in a white SUV.

An anonymous tip on Oct. 23 led police to eye Poremski as a suspect, according to the complaint.

In late November, a teenage bank robbery suspect in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood claimed that Parrish put her up to the robbery, investigators said. Parrish matched the description of the second McCandless robber, and authorities discovered Parrish and Poremski used to work together.

Arrested on an unrelated warrant on Thursday, Parrish spilled the story to authorities, saying she drove Poremski to the McCandless bank, knowing the plan was an armed robbery, according to the complaint. Her role was to check out the inside and give Poremski the go-ahead nod as they passed each other.

A preliminary hearing for Parrish is scheduled for Jan. 16. A date for Poremski has not been set.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.