Two men accused of bank robbery in downtown Delaware in August were indicted in October on federal bank robbery charges.

Alonzo D. Groce, 19, of Columbus, and Jonathan E. Leon II, 24, of New York, were originally scheduled to begin trial in Delaware County Common Pleas Court today but the cases were dismissed after the pair were indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 22.

The men are each charged with bank robbery and using a firearm during the robbery of a financial institution. There are currently no upcoming court dates in the case and the men remain in the Delaware County Jail.

The case will be heard by Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. of the Southern District Court of Ohio.

Groce and Leon both entered not-guilty pleas at their arraignments in Delaware County Common Pleas Court and Delaware Municipal Court. They have not yet been arraigned in federal court.

First assistant county prosecutor Kyle Rohrer told Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Everett Krueger that Leon went into the PNC Bank at 40 N. Sandusky St. on Aug. 24 and investigated it before leaving a few minutes later. Rohrer said Groce entered the bank about 20 minutes later with a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, demanding money from a bank clerk. Rohrer said the clerk gave Groce money and then hit a silent alarm.

Groce left the bank and got into a waiting car driven by Leon and the men were pursued by police as they got onto Interstate 71 and headed south, toward Polaris. After a chase the men ditched the car in a parking lot on South Old State Road.

Rohrer said the men fled on foot but Leon was located a few minutes later and taken into custody by authorities.

Groce was found by police a couple of hours later in a drainage ditch in possession of the money, including marked bills given to him by the bank teller, and the handgun used in the robbery. Groce reportedly confessed the crime to police when questioned.

Krueger set bond for Leon at $300,000 and at $450,000 for Groce.