'Spelling Bee Bandit' Arrested, Charged With Reading Robbery

READING, MA — The man accused of robbing the TD Bank in Reading back in November was arrested Monday. Jason S. Englen, 34, of Chelsea is charged with the Reading robbery; as well as robberies in Burlington, Arlington and Peabody.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, a suspect identified as Englen first entered the TD Bank in Arlington on Oct. 31, approached a teller and presented a note with the word "Robery" written on it. The telller handed him money from the drawer and he fled the bank.

“This was a great collaborative effort between the Reading Police Department, FBI and our neighboring police departments,” Reading Police Chief Mark Segalla said. “Thank you to all members of the public who submitted tips to this department to help us identify the suspect.”

The U.S. Attorney's office indicates that nearly identical incidents occurred in Reading, Burlington and Peabody. During each of the incidents, the man handed the teller a note with the word "Robery" or "Robert" demanding cash.

The FBI dubbed the suspect the "Spelling Bee Bandit" due to the misspelled notes that were passed to tellers. After each of the alleged incidents, surveillance pictures were circulated across the state.

Authorities were able to identify Englen as the suspect of the robberies, and learned that Englen was already in state custody on unrelated charges. If convicted, Englen could face a sentence of up to 20 years and prison, three years supervised lease, a fine of $250,000.

Image via the FBI