UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – A homeless man has been arrested and charged with robbing the Downtown Utica branch of the Adirondack Bank on Friday. Utica Police made the arrest in a little more than 24 hours after the robbery.

Joseph Thompson, 37 years old, with no known address has been charged with Third Degree Robbery and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Friday morning, around 9:30AM, it is alleged that Thompson entered the Adirondack Bank on Genesee Street. He had reportedly spent the night and early morning at the Warming Center on West Street, several blocks away from the bank. Thompson supposedly told some people that he was going to rob a bank. He allegedly did.

According to police, Thompson gave a bank teller a note demanding money. After he received an undisclosed amount of cash, Thompson left the bank and walked a half block to the Centro Bus Hub, where he boarded a bus and went to Sangertown Square in New Hartford. From the mall, Thompson reportedly was picked up by a person driving a white SUV.

Using surveillance video, police were able to connect the bank robber with the person at the Warming Center. Before noon on Saturday, police saw the suspect walking and were able to take him into custody without incident. While in the process of searching Thompson, police discovered a large amount of what is believed to be cocaine in his possession.

Utica Police were aided by the Oneida County Sheriff Office and the New York/New Jersey Regional Marshall Task Force. The Criminal Investigation Division of Utica Police are continuing their investigation and are seeking to identify the driver of the SUV at Sangertown Square. If you have any information, you call call 315-223-3510.