Bank robbery suspect arrested after foot chase

MILLERTON — Alex Borisov, 46, of Brooklyn, N.Y, was arrested Monday afternoon, Nov. 30, less than an hour after a robbery was reported at the First Niagara Bank on Route 44 in Millerton. He has been charged with robbery in the first degree. Additional charges are expected to follow.

Deputy TJ Hanlon of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said it is believed that Borisov walked into the bank at approximately 3:20 p.m., displayed a firearm and demanded money. He then allegedly fled the scene with the money.

"Bank employees were able to get a great description of him, including his full license plate," Hanlon said. "We were able to radio that to Deputies [Steven] Haire and [Charles] Paolercio."

The deputies were doing field training in the area, and as they drove toward Millerton to respond to the robbery they passed Borisov, who had parked the Nissan Xterra he had been driving in a field on Winchell Mountain Road, off Route 199.

"We think he was having some sort of problem and he was looking to get himself cleaned up," Hanlon said in an interview with The Millerton News.

Haire and Paolercio approached the vehicle and Borisov fled, Hanlon reported. After a brief chase on foot, the suspect was apprehended.

A handgun and what is believed to be the stolen money were recovered. Hanlon reported that both the vehicle and the weapon were discovered to have been stolen. Police would not reveal how much money was involved.

"Accolades go out to all for a job well done, and to deputies Haire and Paolercio for fine police work," Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson said in a press release. "They were alert, they put their lives on the line, and they captured a dangerous criminal."

Millerton Mayor John Scutieri also applauded the work of the law enforcement agents.

"People think this is a small town in a remote area and that we’re an easy target," he said. "But we have three wonderful police departments who are as on the ball as the police in major cities.

"As a result," he said, "the robber didn’t even make it out of town before he was arrested."

Millerton has its own police force and is also protected by state and Dutchess County law enforcement officers.

Scutieri noted that if Borisov had taken a left turn out of the bank driveway instead of a right turn, he would have been only minutes away from the state line. However, bank robberies are federal crimes so the Connecticut State Police could have picked up the pursuit.

"These are hard times, and in hard times people do desperate things," Scutieri said. "We’ll hope this is an isolated incident. But if not, the community and local businesses should rest assured that we can protect them."

Borisov was convicted in 1992 of armed robbery of a different bank in Millerton. On Dec. 5, 1991, he stole $3,400 from the Rhinebeck Savings Bank branch, according to a story published at that time in The Millerton News. The Rhinebeck Savings branch was in the same building now occupied by First Niagara.

At that time, Dutchess County Undersheriff David Cundy told The Millerton News that the location of that bank is what makes it an appealing target. It is located a half mile east of the village’s business district, and it is near the state line.

"This bank is always the one that’s going to get hit," he said in an interview.

At that time, Borisov was charged with robbery in the first degree, a class B felony, and grand larceny in the third degree, a class D felony.

Borisov was also a suspect in a string of armed robberies that stretched along the New York and Connecticut border.

According to the New York State Department of Correctional Services Inmate Database, Borisov was convicted in 1992 of the Millerton robbery and served jail time until 1997.

Hanlon said there is also a warrant out for Borisov in New York City, for assault.

Inquiries to First Niagara’s Millerton branch were forwarded to the public relations department, which did not respond before press time.