Gardiner man confessed to robbery of Augusta bank, police say

Officer Michael Raymond of the Augusta Police Department secures an SUV on Wednesday that police seized on Route 17 when apprehending a suspect in the armed robbery Saturday of the Camden National Bank branch at 21 Armory St. in Augusta. The suspect, Joshua A. Brougham, confessed to the robbery this week, police said. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal file

AUGUSTA — The Gardiner man arrested earlier this week for allegedly using a gun to rob a bank in Augusta confessed to police he is the one who committed the bank robbery, police said. He told authorities he needed money to support his drug habit, to pay back a debt and to fill his SUV with gas.

Joshua A. Brougham, 37, told police, according to an affidavit filed by Augusta Detective Michael Unterkoefler, he committed the Saturday robbery at Camden National Bank and he acted alone.

“The day of the robbery, Joshua advised that he was operating (his) GMC Yukon and discovered that he was low on gas,” Unterkoefler wrote in the probable cause affidavit. “Joshua advised he did not have any money. Therefore, he decided to rob a bank.”

Brougham made his initial court appearance Friday via a video feed at the Capital Judicial Center, from Kennebec County jail, where he is being held. He did not enter a plea. District Court Judge Eric Walker set bail at $25,000 cash, with conditions, should he make bail, that he not use or possess drugs, alcohol or any dangerous weapons; that he not return to Camden National Bank; and that he have no contact with the bank clerk named as a victim in the case.

The bank clerk, a woman from Augusta, told police a white man carrying a newspaper spoke with her briefly then pulled out a small silver handgun, which he pointed at her while he told her to put the money, “all of it,” in the newspaper. She put money — the affidavit does not state how much — in the newspaper. He then folded the newspaper and walked out.

The clerk told police the incident was a little scary and she and another employee there at the time were fearful they were “going to die today.”

Brougham is charged with robbery, which is considered a Class A felony — punishable by up to 30 years in prison — when a dangerous weapon is involved. He is also charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

The Oct. 15 incident was the only armed bank robbery in the capital city in the last five years, Sgt. Eric Lloyd of the Augusta police said.

Police seized Brougham’s gold 2002 GMC Yukon SUV as part of the investigation.

The police affidavit says they were led to Brougham in part after watching security video footage in the bank at 21 Armory St. and other businesses in the area.

Video footage from the bank showed a white male holding a newspaper in his hands who approached the teller, at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, spoke for about a minute then appeared to pull a silver handgun from the front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. With the gun pointed in the direction of the clerk, he motioned for her to put money in the newspaper, which she did. He walked briskly out of the building and left the lobby through a door on the south side of the building. He was allegedly seen jogging south or southeast through the parking lot toward Concentra, an adjacent urgent care business. He then went out of camera view, traveling toward Coldwell Banker Rizzo Mattson Realtors at 219 Capitol St.

Police also reviewed video footage from surrounding entities, including Maine State Credit Union at 200 Capitol St.

The affidavit states police matched video footage with the timing of when the suspect would have been leaving the bank. They observed a gold GMC Yukon, traveling through the cameras’ views, heading east on Capitol Street. They noted the vehicle had a distinctive bug guard and distinctive markings on it. Police later provided an image of the vehicle to someone they said is knowledgeable about makes and models of vehicles, who believed the SUV was a 2001, 2002, or 2003 GMC Yukon.

Police then obtained a list of Yukons from those model years registered in the area, discovering, among them, Brougham. Police viewed photographs of Brougham and said he matched the suspect’s description.

On Wednesday an Augusta police officer located Brougham’s SUV and saw a man matching the description of the robbery suspect exit it and walk into a convenience store on Route 17. The man, Brougham, was detained and taken to the police department for questioning.

Brougham, according to the affidavit, told police the silver handgun belonged to a family member and he took it without them knowing. He said the handgun was in the rear of the Yukon.

Brougham told Judge Walker on Friday he would need a court-appointed attorney. He also said he understood the charges against him. His next court appearance, a dispositional conference, is tentatively scheduled for April 4.