FBI Checking to See if Alex Harper Might Be a Suspect in Other Bank Robberies

The FBI is investigating unsolved bank robberies in the region to see if any match Alex Harper's modus operandi, Special Agent Scott Wilson said.

However, at this point, Harper is only charged with .

"We're looking at the possibility of (his involvement in) other unsolved robberies in the Cuyahoga County area," Wilson said.

Wilson added that it was common for the FBI to check its database to see if bank robbery suspects' actions fit into a larger pattern.

Harper, 26, of Richmond Heights, was already convicted of robbing five banks in 2005, including the First National Bank in Mentor, in the summer of 2005 in Northeast Ohio. In each case, Harper would enter the bank with a note, warning the teller that he had a weapon and demanding money.

Police arrested Harper again Saturday after a lengthy police chase that began with someone robbing the First National Bank.

Harper is charged with robbery, tampering with evidence, fleeing and eluding and driving with a suspended license. He appeared Thursday in Mentor Municipal Court to waive his preliminary hearing.

The Grand Jury will hear his case next and, if they feel the evidence supports it, they will indict him.