A Petal man is in custody, accused of robbing a Trustmark bank branch in Vicksburg Wednesday morning while passing through town, said Lt. Bobby Stewart, head of investigations for the Vicksburg Police Department.

Kevin Dale McCain, 48, 406 W. 7th Ave., 9B, was charged as the result of a string of events that included a Mendenhall police officer’s watching TV.

After the 9:40 a.m. Vicksburg robbery, McCain was stopped at about 11:30 a.m. on traffic violations in the town about 75 miles southeast of Vicksburg.

“Officer Rita McNair arrested him on traffic violations,” Stewart said, “He posted $1,450 cash bond, was released and his 2005 Nissan Sentra was impounded at the time of his arrest.”

While at home, McNair saw surveillance photos of the robbery that Vicksburg police had released to news stations, and she “immediately recognized him,” Stewart said.

“We were contacted by Detective Bruce Barlow, who said they had positively identified the suspect,” he said.

At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, McCain returned to the Mendenhall Police Department to retrieve his car. To his surprise, police took him into custody and held him for Vicksburg police. Stewart and two other local officers went to Mendenhall with a search warrant to look through McNair’s car and, later, his home in Petal.

“We recovered evidence that linked him to the crime in Vicksburg,” Stewart said. The suspect was brought to the Warren County Jail and held without bond after a first appearance today. He was deemed a flight risk because he is a possible suspect in two additional bank robberies, one last Friday in Marshall, Texas, and one in Alabama. He is also being held on a federal probation violation from a previous case, Stewart said.

Without Officer McNair’s “sharp, keen eye” and the fact that she “just happened to be watching the 6 p.m. news,” police might not have been able to make such a quick arrest, Stewart said.

McCain is believed to have acted alone and did not display a weapon when he robbed the bank on Halls Ferry Road, Stewart said. He added that McCain was apparently “just passing through” when he stopped to rob the bank. Police recovered some of the cash that was taken, but did not say how much was taken or recovered.