WESTOVER – A former Morgantown resident suspected of robbing Westover’s Commerce Drive WesBanco Bank location on Oct. 23, 2024 has been arrested.
Westover Police Chief Joe Adams said Scott Elgin Beaucham, 53, was recently tracked down in Gary, Indiana, by the U.S. Marshals and extradited back to West Virginia, where he awaits trial in the North Central Regional Jail.
According to the police report, the suspect entered the bank just after 1:30 p.m. and handed a bank teller a threatening note indicating a member of his family had been kidnapped and was being held hostage in a van parked at the nearby McDonald’s.
He obtained just over $3,000 before fleeing the scene.
Area surveillance cameras captured the suspect driving a blue Buick LeSabre and entering the nearby Exxon where he purchased a beer about 90 minutes before the robbery using a debit card later traced to his name.
Additional confirmation was obtained through facial recognition after investigating officer Ben Scott submitted photos to the West Virginia Fusion Center. In December, Officer Scott was contacted by a man claiming to be Beaucham’s half brother, who saw photos from the WesBanco robbery online and identified the man as Scott Beaucham.
On Dec. 12, 2024, Magistrate Sandy Holepit issued a warrant for Beaucham’s arrest.
In a subsequent update to Westover City Council, Deputy Chief Scott Carl said the man, whose identity was not yet being shared publicly, was also wanted in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina for robbery and other fraudulent scheme charges.
While Beaucham’s address is listed as “homeless,” he has a driver’s license issued by the state of Illinois.
Carl further indicated Beaucham previously spent about six years living in Morgantown, primarily in the area of Richwood Avenue and Willey Street.
Adams thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for its assistance with the case.
Beaucham is facing one count of robbery of a banking institution in West Virginia.
