(WWJ) A convicted felon has been charged with robbing a credit union after his tattoos helped to tip off detectives.
Oakland County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Genisys Credit Union at 44400 Woodward Ave., near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., at around 9 a.m. last Thursday on a report of a robbery.
The bank manager reported that a heavy-set white male with multiple tattoos on his head and face had showed the teller a note demanding money, and left with more than $1,300 in stolen cash.
No one was hurt.
The suspect then fled the bank, got into a older model white Chevy Avalanche, and headed northbound on Woodward.
Surveillance video of the incident was reviewed, sheriff's official said; and, due to the unique tattoos on the suspect's face, he was identified quickly as 40-year-old Joshua David Hawley of Pontiac.
It was discovered that Hawley is currently on parole from the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), after being released from prison on Dec. 1.
Detectives tracked the suspect vehicle to the Phoenix Place Apartments in Pontiac, where surveillance video showed Hawley entering his apartment shortly after the robbery, according to investigators.
Hawley was taken into custody without incident, and the note used in the robbery was found in his pocket.
Hawley allegedly confessed to the robbery, telling deputies during an interview that he needed the cash to pay his drug dealer. The money was already gone, Hawley explained, after he took care of his debt and bought more narcotics, sheriff's officials said.
Hawley has an extensive criminal record, with 14 prior felony convictions including: Larceny in a Building, Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property (1998), Felony Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (1999), Uttering and Publishing (2001), Breaking and Entering (2005), Motor Vehicle Theft, Fraud, Felony Use of a Financial Transaction Device, Uttering and Publishing (2007), Uttering and Publishing (2009), Retail Fraud – 2nd Degree, Larceny in a Building, Retail Fraud – 1st Degree (2017), and Felony Fleeing and Eluding (2018).
He was arraigned in 50th District Court Saturday on one count of Bank Robbery, which is a life felony.
Bond was denied and Hawley's next court date was set for Dec. 22.
