Accused Bank Robber From West Hartford Was In Debt, Addicted to Painkillers: UPDATED

A West Hartford man charged with stealing more than $30,000 in two separate robberies of an East Granby bank within a two-week span was $120,000 in debt and addicted to painkillers, according to reports.

Kevin Baker, 45, is charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny. He has been held on $700,000 bond since his Feb. 14 arrest.

Baker was arraigned at Superior Court in Enfield on Tuesday and the judge kept his bail at $700,000 and placed him in detoxification for his narcotic addiction and transferred his case to Hartford, according to the Hartford Courant.

Baker’s family has had financial trouble for about three years but his wife told state police that they have been in dire financial straits since June, according to the Courant.

Baker’s wife also told investigators that her husband became addicted to Oxycontin in 2011 after undergoing four spinal surgeries, according to the Courant.

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Baker has an extensive financial services background.

On LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking service, Baker describes himself as a “sales leader with over two decades experience in the financial services industry.”

His resume includes stints as regional vice president of companies such as American Skandia Marketing, Inc., SunAmerica Financial Group and MetLife.

In May 2013, he founded 4D Private Wealth Strategies, LLC, which “specializes in helping professionals and financial representatives with their investments and retirement planning; whether working and saving or already in the midst of retirement.”

He has been a regional director of WealthVest since Oct. 2015.

Judicial records show Baker has no prior convictions in Connecticut.

The first robbery occurred on Jan. 27 and the second was reported Feb. 8 at the First National Bank of Suffield. Connecticut state police believed the same suspect was responsible for both robberies based on his “actions and comments.”

Baker allegedly stole $15,867 in the first robbery and $14,539 in the second, according to NBC Connecticut.

After investigating, police developed a suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for Baker and a search-and-seizure warrant was also authorized and executed at his residence.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Police