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Police in northern Kentucky say they have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping an elderly woman from a mall, taking her to Ohio and tying her up to a tree last spring.

According to WLWT-TV, the suspect, Joseph Weir, 39, of Covington is also the suspect in the December 5 robbery of Huntington Bank in Covington. Weir was arrested on Sunday in the bank robbery case.

Investigators believe Weir abducted 74-year-old Ann Ernst at gunpoint as she loaded packages into her car May 31 at the Crestview Hills Town Center mall, and drove her to a wooded area near the Great Miami River in Cleves, Ohio. Ernst's husband said she was tied to the tree and gagged with strips cut from a sweater she'd gotten for Christmas.

Ann Ernst said the man made demands for cash during the entire time he was with her.

Police said the victim was able to break free and walked to the Cleves Waterworks, where an off-duty Addyston officer spotted her.

The man fled in the woman's 2001 green Ford Taurus, with her her purse still inside.

The man was described as white, 30 to 40 years old, standing about 6'2", weighing about 165 pounds, with large eyes and protruding teeth. He was wearing an Army-style jungle hat, green baggy cargo-style pants and white tennis shoes.

That description also matches one given for a man who robbed Huntington Bank late last year.

Police said Ann Ernst's cell phone pinged off a tower the day after her abduction, but no suspect was identified until Weir was arrested in connection with the bank robbery.

Prosecutors said they intend to seek a direct indictment.

Weir is being held on a $50,000 bond on one count of robbery, but prosecutors said they will ask a grand jury to indict Weir in connection with the abduction.

Weir is currently being held in the Kenton County Detention Center.