by Al DellaFave, OCPO
TOMS RIVER-Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Pine Beach Borough Police Chief Matthew Petrecca announce the arrest of Beth Ellen Brown, 54, of Toms River, in the Pine Beach Santander Bank robbery.
The arrest stems from the January 5, 2018 robbery, when shortly after 3 pm, an elderly woman entered the Santander Bank on Route 9, handed the teller a note stating she had a gun and demanded cash. The woman was given an undisclosed minimum amount of cash and departed the bank. No weapon was shown during the incident and no one was injured.
Det. Anthony Pruchnik of the Pine Beach Police Department Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, and Toms River Police Department began a collaborative investigation, which would result in the arrest. On January 8, at approximately 9:00 pm, the partnering agencies located and arrested Beth Ellen Brown at the Pelican Hotel on Route 37 in Toms River.
Brown is charged with 1st degree Robbery and is being lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a court appearance. The media and the public are reminded that criminal charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.