SOUTH PORTLAND — An alleged housing scam and a bank robbery in the city resulted last week in the indictments of two women by a Cumberland County grand jury.

Jamilee Kus, 29, of Waterville, was indicted on a Class B robbery charge for allegedly holding up a TD Bank branch at 250 Maine Mall Road on July 5.

Portland resident Lisa Hinerman, 26, was indicted on  a count of Class C theft by deception and a Class C theft by unauthorized taking charge for allegedly taking security deposits in late June to rent an apartment owned by the South Portland Housing Authority.

Documents at Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland show Hinerman is expected to face trial around Sept. 24, while Kus’s case is expected to be heard around Oct. 22.

Court records allege Kus entered the bank just after 7 p.m., feigning she was holding a gun under her clothing. About $1,800 cash was taken from two tellers, and Kus allegedly fled as a passenger in a white Ford Explorer.

Anonymous tips to police confirmed Kus as a suspect, according to a statement by South Portland Detective Christopher Todd. Police in Waterville helped confirm her identity, and police traced her cell phone signals to New York City after the holdup.

Acting on a tip saying Kus and her companions were returning to Maine on July 8, South Portland police tracked the Explorer from the York tolls until the vehicle was stopped by Maine State Police near the mile 43 marker in Scarborough.

When arrested, Cruz was with a friend, her boyfriend and her 10-year-old and 4-year-old children.

Hinerman is accused of bilking three people out of about $1,800 for security deposits on a Grandview Avenue apartment inhabited by a friend facing eviction by the South Portland Housing Authority.

South Portland Police Officer Jeffrey Caldwell said Hinerman used a Craiglist ad and fake name to lure a 58-year-old Lyman resident and a Portland couple aged 22 and 23, to the apartment she said would be ready for occupancy after July 4.

The alleged victim from Lyman discovered the property was owned by the housing authority after some research and alerted police. Shortly after Caldwell began working on the case, Sgt. Adam Howard received a complaint by the Portland couple about a fraudulent rental at the same property.  

Hinerman, who has at least three prior theft convictions in Cumberland County, was arrested June 28 at a Riverside Street motel in Portland, after agreeing to meet the woman from Lyman there. The arrest was a joint effort by Portland and South Portland police, according to Caldwell’s statement.

Kus and Hinerman are now held at Cumberland County Jail in Portland, according to jail officials. Court records show both are held on $5,000 bail.

David Harry can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 110 or dharry@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHarry8.

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Lisa M. Hinerman

Jamilee Kus

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