Holdup suspects arraigned

Staff Writer

The man and woman arrested after a Tuesday bank robbery pleaded not guilty Wednesday and were both ordered held on a $75,000 full-cash bond.

Jason L. Robinson, 29, of Powells Creek, and Amanda L. Eplin, 31, of Betsy Layne, were arrested Tuesday following the robbery of the Community Trust Bank branch on Town Mountain Road.

The two were arraigned Wednesday morning before Pike District Judge Darrel Mullins, who set the bonds.

"I'm setting it high so I can get some info on where the case is going," Mullins said when he set Eplin's bond.

Robinson, police have said, is believed to have robbed a Community Trust Bank branch in Middlesboro on Monday, then came back to Pike County, where he then robbed the Town Mountain branch.

The investigator in the case, Pikeville Police Det. Phillip Reed, said Tuesday that Robinson entered the Town Mountain branch and handed a note to teller demanding all the bank's money and threatening to shoot them if they didn't comply.

Robinson, police said, then fled the bank with $3,900, and got into a white Chrysler minivan, allegedly driven by Eplin, and fled the scene.

Robinson was arrested Tuesday evening at the Pikeville Kentucky Fried Chicken, and, according to the arrest citation in the case, admitted to the Town Mountain robbery. He was charged with first-degree robbery.

As Robinson was being questioned Tuesday evening, Eplin turned herself in at the Pikeville Police Department. According to the arrest citation charging Eplin with criminal conspiracy, Eplin told officers she took Robinson to the bank to cash a check and in return, received $1,100 cash.

Eplin was also lodged in the Pike County Detention Center.

Pike Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Bartley said yesterday he is unsure at this point whether the cases against Robinson and Eplin will be handled by his office or federal authorities.

However, he did say that, with the new charge, Robinson faces the possible imposition of a two-year prison sentence diverted as a part of a plea deal last year.

Bartley said Robinson was indicted in Nov., 2006, on a charge of theft by deception when he wrote a bad check worth $28,587 to Walters Auto Group in exchange for a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

Robinson, he said, was later arrested in Broward County, Fla., and brought back to Pike County, where, in June of last year, he pleaded guilty to the charge. Robinson was sentenced to two years in prison to be diverted for four years with supervision, which was later terminated.

Robinson, Bartley said, later came back and requested to be allowed off supervision so he could join the military.

"We agreed to terminate the supervision," Bartley said. "But, to my knowledge, he never did (join the military)."

Bartley said that, with Robinson's new charge, a motion will be filed to revoke that diversion, which could force Robinson to begin a two-year prison sentence.

The case remains under investigation.