Man, girlfriend charged in bank robbery

Police have charged a man with robbing a bank outside Manassas on Friday, and his girlfriend with driving the stolen getaway car.

Detectives arrested Mark Edward Wilson, 31, of 8805 Portner Lane in Manassas and Melissa Sue Martin, 29, of 8247 Humphrey Lane in Manassas, at a hotel early Saturday, Prince William County police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez said.

Wilson is also charged with stealing a pickup from a former employer, Hernandez said.

Police say Martin drove that truck as Wilson attempted to rob a Dairy Queen employee at knifepoint off Sudley Road, and then hit the Virginia Commerce Bank on Balls Ford Road a short time later.

The robber walked into the bank about 2:25 p.m., handing a teller a note indicating he had a weapon and demanding cash. The teller complied and the robber fled.

Police say they identified Wilson as a suspect and tracked him down to a Manassas hotel early Saturday. He and Martin are both charged with armed robbery and attempted armed robbery, Hernandez said.

Police are still trying to find another local bank robber who struck Friday afternoon in North Stafford—after hitting three times in Woodbridge and Dale City.

That robbery, at a Wachovia on Garrisonville Road, marked the fourth since late November involving an older white man who hands tellers a note demanding cash.

Police say Wilson is not a suspect in those robberies. He and Martin are being held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas regional jail pending a Feb. 3court date.