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Arrest Made in Simultaneous PP Bank Robbery and Bomb Threat

Apr. 12, 2024 3:55p

(WGTD)---A former police officer is being accused of calling in a bomb threat to hinder officers' ability to respond quickly to a bank robbery he then allegedly committed.

51-year-old Paul Garchek of Kenosha is being held in the Kenosha County jail. Pleasant Prairie police are recommending charges of making terrorist threats and robbery of a financial institution. Garchek is expected to make his initial court appearance on Monday.

Garchek worked as a patrol officer for the Racine Police Dept. from March of 1997 through early 2010, according to the department. 

Garchek's record includes 2014 Racine County convictions for armed robbery and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.    

The most recent incidents--occurring last weekend---involved a bomb threat at Costco in Pleasant Prairie and a robbery at a Chase bank branch on 39th Ave. 

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