CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston police arrested the man Friday afternoon they believe robbed a Kanawha City bank earlier this week.
Detectives found Jason Compton in the Knights Inn motel in Kanawha City. He was actually charged with two robberies upon his arrest.
Compton, of Dawes, has been on the run since Wednesday when police allege he entered the Fifth-Third Bank on MacCorkle Ave. and demanded money. In a separate warrant the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department alleges Compton robbed the Chase Bank in Elkview in August.
A man near the Fifth-Third parking lot was able to write down the license plate number of the Nissan Altima that sped away from the scene Wednesday afternoon. Police later found the car at a Hurricane subdivision where they arrested Helena Marcum of Pratt and charged her with first-degree robbery. They said she drove the getaway car. Marcum told police she dropped Compton off in Hurricane after giving him a ride to the bank. She said she didn’t know he was going to rob it.
Compton has served time for previous robberies. He was sentenced in 2010 to spend 15 years behind bars for his part in robbing Trivillian’s Pharmacy in Kanawha City and Rite Aid in Belle. He’s been out on parole since February.
Compton will be lodged in the South Central Regional Jail.