Accused Woodstock bank robber Jahson Marryshow has turned down a plea deal which would have sent him to prison for 10 years for the 2010 heist at a Bank of America branch on Mill Hill Road. If convicted at trial, the 32-year-old former Woodstock resident faces up to 25 years in state prison.
Marryshow was arrested by police in Eugene, Ore. back in September, four years after he was indicted by an Ulster County grand jury on charges of robbery, arson and grand larceny. On June 30, 2010 cops believe Marryshow carried out an elaborate plan to rob the Bank of America in the heart of Woodstock and get away clean. That morning, police say, Marryshow stole a car from a driveway on Yerry Hill Road then drove to Lake Hill, where he set fire to an old barn on Route 212. As police and fire crews raced to the scene, police said, Marryshow headed in the opposite direction. Just after 9 a.m., police believe Marryshow walked into the bank disguised with a bandana and goggles and wielding a semiautomatic handgun. Cops say Marryshow threatened bank staff with the weapon before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. The stolen car was later found abandoned on Tanglewood Drive, not far from Marryshow’s home on Witchtree Road.
Marryshow was next spotted on October 10, 2010 when Woodstock police attempted to take him into custody on a warrant for misdemeanor assault. Marryshow fled from police on foot and evaded a manhunt that included state police helicopters and police dogs. At the time, police said, he had already been identified as a suspect in the bank robbery. In November 2010, an Ulster County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Marryshow with the felonies of first-degree robbery, third-degree arson and fourth-degree grand larceny. By that time, though, Marryshow had vanished.
Over the next four years, Marryshow remained atop Ulster County’s list of most wanted fugitives. Police followed leads to New York City, New Orleans and other cities, but were unable to find him. At least part of the time, police said, Marryshow was living in Oregon, working for a tree service and, acquaintances say, using his real name. On September 14 of this year, Eugene police acting on a tip took Marryshow into custody as he competed in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament in a city park.
Marryshow was extradited back to New York and sent to Ulster County Jail. This week, Ulster County Assistant District Attorney Mike Kavanagh said Marryshow had turned down a plea deal offered at a December 16 hearing. The deal called for prosecutors to recommend a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea to the first-degree robbery charge. The case is now set to go to trial sometime before April 29. Kavanagh said that police were analyzing fingerprint and DNA evidence for use in the case.
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