Branford Cops Make Bank Robbery Case Arrest, East Haven Man Charged

BRANFORD, CT — He was wearing a fedora hat and sunglasses when in October 2021 police said he robbed the Liberty Bank and made his getaway in a white Honda.

Now, after a nine-month investigation, Branford police detectives secured a warrant in the case, charging Jason Gardner, 34, of East Haven with second-degree robbery and second-degree larceny in the Oct. 15, 2021 robbery. The arrest warrant was served Wednesday at New Haven Superior Court.

On that autumn morning, a man wearing a dark blue Nike hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants, dark-colored shoes, blue face mask, brown framed sunglasses, and the fedora walked into the West Main Street bank, police said. He passed a note to a teller demanding money and warning them to not activate the alarm, police said.

At the time, Branford Police Department Dep. Chief John Alves confirmed the man did not say he had a weapon nor display one. Tellers handed over the cash, in an amount police have not confirmed.

Currently, Gardner is in the custody of the state Department of Corrections, he has a court set bond of $100,000. According to court records, Gardner is currently serving a nine-month sentence at Cheshire Correctional Center for assaulting a public safety officer. His release date on that case is Oct. 23.