Chelmsford Police Charge Two Men in Connection with Bank Robbery

Chelmsford Police Detectives, after a thorough investigation and working with several area law enforcement partners, have charged two men in connection with a July 15 bank robbery, according to Chelmsford Police Chief James Murphy.

Stephen Callahan, 55, of Lawrence has been charged with Armed Robbery and Stephen Delong, 53, of Lawrence is accused of being the getaway driver and lying to investigators. Delong is charged with Armed Robbery as a Joint Venture and Misleading a Police Investigation.

"I am proud of the hard work done by Chelmsford Police Detectives in bringing this case to a close," said Deputy Police Chief James M Spinney in a statement issued Monday. "Additionally, the level of teamwork shown by several municipal police departments and the State Police, along with good, old fashioned detective work brought these two dangerous individuals to justice today."

Chelmsford Police were called to the Stop and Shop grocery store at 299 Chelmsford St. on Tuesday, July 15 at a 2:42 p.m. Employees advised 911 operators that they believed the Citizens Bank branch located inside the store had just been robbed.

Police arrived to find a clear plastic bag laying in the middle of the parking lot. The bag contained money covered in red dye, from an exploding dye back used by bank employees to thwart robbers.

The bank reported that a skinny white male, wearing a black jacket and jeans came into the store, jumped over the counter, displayed a black folding knife, and began emptying the drawers into a plastic bag. He demanded that the tellers open more drawers, and then they told him that they were unable to open additional drawers, the robber jumped back over the counter and fled.

Witnesses told police that the robber ran through the woods toward the Chelmsford Mall and got into the passenger seat of a red pickup truck. Witnesses gave police a complete license plate number of the truck.

The license plate came back to a 1997 Subaru owned by a Billerica woman. Chelmsford Police were joined by a Billerica Police detective in interviewing the owned of the Subaru, and her boyfriend, identified as Delong. Throughout the investigation, police allege that Delong lied and tried to mislead detectives at every avenue, catching himself in multiple lies. 

Police found the Subaru at Delong's apartment in Lawrence, and a responding officer saw a black folding knife, in plain view through the windshield, matching the description of the knife used in the robbery.

Subsequent interviews with Delong led police to look for a man named "Stephen Calloway from Dorchester." But Delong was honest about one thing -- he gave police the cell phone number for Callahan, which police used to zero in on the alleged robber.

As Chelmsford Detectives were investigating, on Thursday, July 17, Lawrence Police notified Chelmsford that there had just been a bank robbery in their city, at a Santander branch. Lawrence Police arrested Callahan at the scene and noted that he matched the description and was wearing the same looking clothes, shoes, and gloves from the Chelmsford robbery. Callahan may face additional charges in connection with a third bank robbery in Lawrence.

Delong is scheduled to be arraigned today in Lowell District Court. Callahan will face a judge for his charges in Lawrence first. 

These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty