37-year-old Robert Joseph Markus was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 81 months to a maximum of 20 years, with a credit of 124 days served. He is also required to pay $106 in restitution; the amount he made off with after robbing the TCF Bank on East Grand River Avenue in Genoa Township on January 19th.

Witnesses said a white male, later identified as Markus, entered the bank wearing a ski mask and announced to tellers it was a robbery. Witnesses said he implied that he had a weapon, although none was shown. He then fled with the cash. About fifteen minutes later it was reported that a suspect fitting the description of the TCF robber had entered the Lake Trust Credit Union on M-59 in Howell Township, but fled after being met by an employee who directed him to remove his mask. Several minutes later, Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a pickup truck matching a description provided by witnesses on Highland Road near Michigan Avenue in Howell and took Markus into custody.

He pleaded guilty as charged last month to two counts of armed robbery and one count of bank robbery, as well as a 4th time habitual offender status. (DK)