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FRANKLIN — A 68-year-old Middletown woman accused of a rash of bank heists is expected to waive her right to a preliminary hearing today, Dec. 2, her attorney said.

Barbara Joly, of 5008 Victoria Drive in Middletown, was scheduled to appear in Franklin Municipal Court at 5:30 p.m. for a preliminary hearing. But her attorney, Christopher Atkins of Middletown, told the Journal that won't likely happen.

Atkins said Joly will appear in court, but only long enough to formally waive the hearing. There will be no testimony.

Preliminary hearing are used to determine whether authorities have sufficient evidence against someone to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictment. Without a hearing, Joly's case will now go directly to a Warren County grand jury for consideration.

Joly is charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony and is currently free on a $100,000 bond.

She is accused of robbing the Huntington Bank in Franklin on Nov. 21 and is also a suspect in bank robberies in Middletown, Lebanon and Mason.

Lt. Rodney Muterspaw, of the Middletown Division of Police, said today that Joly, police and bank officials have reached an agreement not to charge her in the March 11 robbery of Community National Bank at 316 S. Breiel Blvd. Joly has agreed to pay $1,000 restitution to the bank in exchange for robbery charges not being file against her.

"Our (Middletown's) part is technically done, but it doesn't eliminate her problems in Warren County," Muterspaw said.

Mason police officials said today they haven't charged Joly yet, but her case will probably go before a Warren County grand jury this Friday or next.

Joly is a suspect in the robbery of People's First Savings Bank on Reading Road in May. The senior citizen made off with about $5,000 in that incident.

"We are going to charge her," said Mason Detective Jerome Deidesheimer. "She is on community control in Franklin, so she's not going anywhere."

Sgt. Jeff Mitchell of the Lebanon Police Department said that Lebanon police were working with other jurisdictions and the Warren County Prosecutor's Office to coordinate information. That department has not yet filed charges either.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or erichter@coxohio.com.