Update June 17, 2008, Canton, MI - Joseph Webster, age 53, was arraigned this afternoon on three felony charges in front of 35th District Court Magistrate Eric Colthurst. Webster is being held on a 100,000 cash bond / no 10 %.  If convicted, Webster faces 25 years up to life in prison for the following charges: 1 count of Bank Robbery, 1 count of Armed Robbery and a Habitual Third Offense.  Websters next court appearance is a preliminary exam scheduled for June 27th, in 35th District Court located at 660 Plymouth Rd. in Plymouth Township.  

Original Release June 16, 2008, Canton, MI - Today at approximately 0906 hours, Canton Police responded to a silent hold alarm at Comerica bank located at 45420 Michigan Avenue in Canton, MI.

A 54 year old Washtenaw County man walked up to the teller and handed her a hand-written note stating he had a bomb strapped to his body and demanded money. The clerk hit the silent alarm and began putting singles into a bag when the suspect demanded bands of 50s and 100s. An adjacent teller witnessed the transaction and alerted another customer to the apparent robbery. The long time customer asked the teller if she was sure and the teller stated yes. The long time customer then turned toward the bank robber pulled a concealed handgun, pointed it at the robber and racked a round into the chamber stating you are not robbing this bank! The robber replied but, I have a bomb. The patron stated again, I dont care; you are not robbing this bank! The patron then escorted the would-be robber over to a chair, sat him down and held him at gun point until police arrived.

There were no injuries reported or further incidents with the robber or Good Samaritan. There were no issues concerning the patrons CCW permit. The suspect was taken into custody and the Canton Police along with the FBI continue with the investigation. There was no bomb found on scene. It is unknown at this time if the suspect has been involved in other bank robberies in South East Michigan.

The suspect is expected to be arraigned after a complete and thorough investigation. Earliest arraignment would be expected tomorrow morning or early afternoon.

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