A woman suspected of carrying out two recent bank robberies in Skokie and Wilmette is in federal custody after being charged in connection with one of the robberies, announced Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Ooffice of the FBI, and Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Kirbey Ingold, age 23, who has no current permanent address, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of bank robbery, a felony offense, in connection with the October 14, 2014 robbery of the BMO Harris Bank branch located at 1701 Sheridan Road in Wilmette. She appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan and was ordered held pending her next court appearance, scheduled for tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.

According to the complaint, the robber, later identified as Ingold, entered the BMO Harris Bank a little before noon on October 14 and, after informing a bank teller that she wanted to open an account, presented a note to the teller and made a verbal demand for money. The robber also allegedly told the teller that she was armed and placed her hand in the front pocket of the sweatshirt she was wearing, which led the teller to believe the robber was armed. The complaint states that the robber presented a white plastic bag, into which the teller placed money retrieved from a teller drawer.

Although not charged, Ingold is also suspected of robbing a PNC Bank branch located at 5033 West Dempster Street in Skokie, Illinois, on October 7, 2014. On that date, a robber entered the bank and presented a note to a teller announcing the robbery and demanding money, according to the complaint. The complaint also alleges that the robber made physical gestures with a hand that was inside a sweatshirt pocket that led the teller to believe the robber had a gun.

Ingold was identified by an individual who saw media coverage of the October 7 robbery and contacted the Skokie Police Department.

If convicted of the charge filed against her, Ingold faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Mr. Holley thanked the Skokie and Wilmette Police Departments for their assistance in the investigation of the robberies.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.