Copiague man arrested in bank robberies

A Copiague man has been arrested, charged with robbing two banks and with attempting to rob two others, all since mid-May in Suffolk County, police said.

Police said that Yershov was charged with robbery in a heist at the HSBC Bank branch on Route 109 in West Babylon on May 17 and in a failed robbery at a Chase Bank branch on East Main Street in Bay Shore on June 4.

He was charged with attempted grand larceny in two other attempted robberies -- the first at a Bank of America branch on Sunrise Highway in Copiague on May 30 and one at a Chase Bank branch on Sunrise Highway in Copiague several hours later. In those attempts, police said, Yershov handed a teller a note saying his daughter would be killed if he didn't get money. He fled both banks without cash, police said.

The HSBC heist netted Yershov an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. Yershov was charged with robbery for the failed attempt at the Chase Bank branch on June 4, police said, because he had handed the teller a demand note, despite fleeing the bank without any proceeds.

Police said an investigation led to the arrest of Yershov.

But police did not detail what evidence led to the arrest Monday night.