Flossmoor police say a bank robbery may have been prevented last week when an officer stopped a car for speeding in mid-morning traffic. Patrolman Tim Filkins stopped a man who subsequently was charged in an Orland Park bank robbery.
video robbing the Fifth Third Bank in Orland Park
recently. Flossmoor police last week arrested a
man believed by law enforcement officials to be
the robber. (Provided photo)
Flossmoor police say a bank robbery may have been prevented last week when an officer stopped a car for speeding in mid-morning traffic.
At about 10:20 a.m. on Nov. 9, Patrolman Tim Filkins clocked the eastbound 2006 Ford Taurus at 48 mph on Flossmoor Road, heading toward Dixie Highway. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 30 mph.
Filkins pulled the car over, setting off a chain of events that ultimately resulted in the driver of the car — Skye Perk, 30, of Orland Park — facing charges of bank robbery, a federal crime.
As he searched Perk’s car, Filkins found a Halloween-style mask of an elderly man. The car’s trunk also contained several pairs of sunglasses, sport coats and two Illinois license plates, police said.
According to Orland Park police, the mask matched the one a bank robber wore during an Oct. 31 heist at a Fifth Third Bank in that community. Also, Perk’s jacket, scarf, pants and shoes match what the offender wore during the robbery, police said. The person who robbed the Fifth Third Bank was captured on video cameras, police said.
Images on Filkins’ squad car camera show Perk removing a mask after he was pulled over, but before he spoke to the officer, Flossmoor police said. Chief Michael Pulec said he’s sure Perk was “absolutely” on his way to another bank robbery.
“He (Filkins) stopped a bank robbery,” Pulec said. “That really is as good as it gets.”
Deputy Chief Tod Kamleiter said Filkins had performed “great police work” and also commended Flossmoor Detective David Freeman, who made the initial connection between the mask and the Orland Park robbery.
Successful police work often requires that officers are at the right place at the right time, Kamleiter said. Filkins relied on his instincts in making the arrest, he said, and it worked.
“It’s about the feeling that something just isn’t right and having the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,” he said.
When Filkins ran a check on the rear plate of Perk’s car, he found that it did not match the Taurus and was registered to a Palos Hills driver, police said. When Filkins asked Perk about the plate, he allegedly told the officer that he was nervous about driving without insurance and found the fraudulent plate “in the trash.”
Police found a different fraudulent plate on the front of the car. Both plates were attached to Perk’s actual plates with magnets, police said.
When Filkins handcuffed Perk, he discovered that the tips of Perk’s fingers were covered with adhesive bandages, possibly so that he would not leave fingerprints, police said.
At the Flossmoor police station, Perk told Filkins, “I hope you aren’t worried about that mask,” the report says.
Filkins told Freeman about the mask. The detective recalled that a police flier from Orland Park gave a description of the Fifth Third Bank robber matching the appearance of someone wearing the mask.
Perk was charged by Flossmoor police with speeding, no proof of insurance and unlawful display of a registered license plate.
Orland Park detectives, along with a police officer from that village assigned to the FBI Task Force, interviewed Perk at Flossmoor about the Fifth Third Bank robbery. Perk was charged with bank robbery by the FBI and appeared before a federal magistrate in Chicago. He remains in federal custody.
According to the Flossmoor police report, Perk listed an address on the 15500 block of Kemper Drive in Orland Park. In their press release, Orland Park police said Perk formerly lived in the village but that he is now homeless.