Elmhurst police officers have arrested a fugitive wanted in connection with a Sept. 16 bank robbery in Virginia.
Justin M. Craver, 45, of Newport News, Va., was arrested by detectives and an arrest team from the Elmhurst Police Department at approximately 12:20 p.m. Tuesday in a parking lot on Route 83 south of North Ave. Officers had observed him walking south from the Courtyard Chicago Elmhurst/Oak Brook hotel where he was staying.
Craver was seen exiting the hotel and walking south across nearby North Avenue. Detectives and the arrest team then approached Craver in a parking lot and safely took him into custody.
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As Elmhurst police reported, at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday,a concerned citizen came to the Elmhurst Police Station to report suspicious activity. The citizen reported that a former acquaintance arrived in the Chicago area from Virginia by bus on Monday. The man indicated he needed a place to stay so the citizen assisted him in getting a hotel room in Elmhurst.
Later, the citizen received information that the man may have committed a recent bank robbery in Yorktown, Virginia. He identified the man staying at the hotel as Justin M. Craver, 45, of Newport News, Virginia.
Elmhurst Police officers learned Craver was the subject of a full extradition arrest warrant by the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Department in Virginia for a bank robbery offense. In the Sept. 16 bank robbery, the offender was armed with a hatchet.
Following Craver’s arrest, police got a search warrant for the room where Craver had been staying, where they found two knives and a machete.
In consultation with the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, Craver was charged with the offenses of fugitive from justice and obstructing identification and was taken to the DuPage County Jail.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Department was notified of Craver’s arrest.
The Elmhurst Police Department thanked the citizen who notified the department about fugitive and ensured the public safety of the community.
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.