A Champaign man has been arrested following an investigation into two recent bank robberies in Champaign. Champaign Police were dispatched at 1:46 p.m. on June 5, 2023, to the 1600 block of W. Springfield Avenue for a report of a Bank Robbery. Additionally, Champaign Police were dispatched at 2:48 p.m. on July 18, 2023, to the 1200 block of S. Mattis Avenue for a report of a robbery at a credit union.
In both cases, officers learned that a suspect entered the bank, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The suspect then fled the banks with an undisclosed amount of currency. No injuries were reported to Champaign Police.
Following an investigation into these incidents, on July 21, 2023, Champaign Police arrested Edward J. Peppers, 45, of Champaign, for his involvement in these robberies. He remains in the custody of the Champaign County Correctional Center awaiting arraignment on charges including Armed Robbery.
The Champaign Police Department would like to thank the community for their assistance during this investigation.
Although an arrest has been made, the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with additional information is asked to please contact police at 217-351-4545. Arrangements may be made for information to be shared privately. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
Citizens are reminded that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.
Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest in any homicide case, $2,500 for tips leading to an arrest in a felony crime involving a firearm, and up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for any other crime.