Federal authorities have taken over the investigation of a West Virginia woman who is suspected of robbing two Athens banks last month.
The investigation of Christine Joy Martin has been turned over to the FBI, Angela Waldron, administrative assistant for the Athens City Police Department said Monday. Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle had no comment.
On Dec. 27, People's Bank on Court Street was robbed. This was followed by a robbery of Chase Bank on East State Street two days later. Both robberies were committed by a woman in a black coat who did not appear to be armed. Following the second robbery, APD released a statement saying the department believed both robberies were committed by the same woman.
"(The federal authorities) were here from the beginning," Athens County Prosecuting Attorney Keller Blackburn said. "All bank robberies are federal offenses because the banks are backed by federal insurance."
Martin was arrested in Parkersburg, West Virginia on Dec. 30, following an alleged robbery in Morgantown, West Virginia 10 days earlier, according to a Parkersburg News and Sentinel report. She is currently being held at the North Central Regional Jail in West Virginia.
Blackburn said because there were robberies in multiple states, the case could be tried in federal court. He was not sure if Martin would ever stand trial in an Athens court.
"It's possible," he said. "Regardless of what happens, it will be a while. ... It's still under investigation, nothing has been 100 percent confirmed."
FBI officials in Athens and Cincinnati could not be reached for comment.
