One of Mike Royko’s sons, charged with attempting to rob a Chicago bank by threatening to detonate a device rigged to look like a pipe bomb, chose to remain in jail Tuesday rather than try for release on bond.
Robert Royko, 41, of Johnsburg left open the possibility during his federal court appearance that he might request release on bond at a later date.
His attorney, Patrick O’Byrne, told reporters after the hearing that release was unlikely considering the seriousness of the charge. O’Byrne also said Royko had signed a written statement. He declined to call it a confession but said it was “a statement against interest.”
According to FBI agents, Royko walked into a North Side Associated Bank on Friday, pulled a device from a black box and put it on a desk, saying it was a bomb. He then put on a ski mask and handed a teller a bag, demanding it be filled with money, the agents said.
Royko said he had a device that could detonate the bomb if anyone tried to stop him, but an off-duty cop working as a guard slapped the device out of Royko’s hand and arrested him, the agents said.
The device was made up of two pipes, nails, a circuit board and duct tape, but no explosives, according to the agents.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan on Tuesday ordered Royko to remain in custody but also asked Royko’s brother, David, and wife, Cindy, to meet with court officials to lay the groundwork for possible bond later. Prosecutors sought to keep Robert Royko locked up.
“All his life he has struggled with addiction problems, and he’s had financial problems chronically,” David Royko, a psychologist with the Cook County Circuit Court system. He said his brother had been taking medication for emotional problems.
Robert and David Royko’s father, Mike Royko, was a longtime Chicago newspaper columnist.
