By 1st Sgt. Chad D. Hill, Public Information Officer

MENTONE — Kosciusko County officers apprehended a bank robbery suspect within 13 minutes today in the Town of Mentone.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded today to a “hold-up” alarm at the Mentone branch of the Lake City Bank located along State Road 25 at approximately 11:09 a.m.

While officers were enroute, they were provided with a description of the suspect who had robbed a bank teller after displaying a weapon. They were also advised by a potential residence that the individual had fled on foot. Officers from the Mentone Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department surrounded the address of 211 N. Tucker St., Mentone, and were subsequently allowed to enter inside by one of the residents.

Deputies located the alleged suspect, identified as Bernie Joe Montileaux, 37, and took him into custody at gunpoint without incident.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives stated that they were able to locate the weapon used, along with an undisclosed amount of currency that was taken during the bank robbery. K.C.S.D. detectives continued by saying that “concerned citizens were imperative in facilitating the arrest made today.”

Montileaux was arrested and preliminarily charged with felony robbery with a weapon, and is currently being held on a prosecutorial hold in the Kosciusko County Jail.

The Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office advises that the defendant’s charge is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.