A man who confessed to robbing the Cadence Bank in Brooksville was caught by deputies from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) after he and an accomplice robbed the Synovus Bank also in Brooksville.
On April 12, the HCSO received a report of a robbery at the Cadence Bank located at 14211 Powell Rd. in Brooksville. Witnesses described the suspected bank robber as a clean-shaven black male in his early 20s standing 6-feet to 6’1” inches tall wearing a black mask, a gray hoodie, black jogging pants, charcoal gray sneakers with a white triangle on the back, and white laces, carrying a black bag.
Two days later on April 14, deputies responded to a 911 call reporting that the Synovus Bank 1000 S. Broad St. in Brooksville had been robbed. Deputy Public Information Officer Michael Terry said that the description of the suspected bank robber matched that of the suspect wanted in connection to the April 12 robbery at the Cadence Bank.
Using a description of the getaway car used in the Cadence Bank incident, deputies located the suspect’s vehicle traveling south on U.S. 41 and conducted a felony traffic stop just south of Hernando Oaks.
Two suspects, passenger Bertin Balan Jr., 22 and driver 28-year-old Barry Toussaint were located inside the vehicle.
After the stop, a firearm was found in Toussaint’s possession and a BB gun was found under the passenger seat.
Money from the Synovus Bank robbery was found in the suspects’ vehicle.
Both men were taken into custody without incident.
Under questioning, Balan admitted that he committed the Cadence bank robbery and that he acted alone during that incident.
Both Balan and Toussaint were booked into the Hernando County Detention Center where Balan was charged with the unarmed robbery of the Cadence Bank and the armed robbery of the Synovus Bank. His bond was initially set at $125,000.
