Sheriff's office: Man in police custody left hospital, immediately robbed bank

Joshua Dettlaff, 32, is charged with one count each of armed robbery, bank robbery and unarmed robbery for allegedly robbing the Chase Bank branch on Huron River Drive on Thursday. If convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison.

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Detective Michael Babycz said Dettlaff had been in the custody of the Ypsilanti Police Department and was at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for treatment. Babycz said Dettlaff was released from the hospital and immediately walked to the bank, where he told a teller that he had a gun.

Dettlaff walked out of the bank and was arrested by an officer from the Eastern Michigan University Department of Public Safety and a sheriff’s office deputy along Hewitt Road, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Derrick Jackson. He was running along Hewitt Road near a bike path in the area of the EMU Convocation Center, Jackson said.

An undisclosed amount of money was recovered from Dettlaff, Jackson said.

During his arraignment in front of Magistrate Colleen Currie, Dettlaff attempted to plead guilty to the robbery before he was informed he could only enter a not guilty plea. He refused to be represented by the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Office, despite informing Currie he could not pay for his own lawyer.

Dettlaff has previous convictions for third-degree home invasion and attempted unarmed robbery in Saginaw County and two convictions for stealing a financial transaction device in Eaton County, according to state records.

Detective Sgt. Troy Fulton, of the Ypsilanti Police Department, was not immediately available Friday to speak about why Dettlaff was in Ypsilanti police custody.

He is scheduled to return to court at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 7.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.