The trial for two men accused of robbing a Vineyard Haven bank in 2022 will not be held until the fall after being postponed this week.

U.S. District Court Judge William Young Monday reset the jury trial for Romane Clayton and Miquel Jones, two men who were arrested for allegedly robbing the Rockland Trust Bank, for October 7. The new date comes nearly a year after the judge had initially set a December 2023 trial date. 

The attorneys for Mr. Jones and Mr. Clayton asked for the delay so they could continue to review evidence and prepare for the trial. The attorneys also said that federal prosecutors have talked about a potential resolution of the case ahead of the October trial date. 

Mr. Jones is facing charges of armed bank robbery and conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery. Mr. Clayton was charged with bank robbery and accessory after the fact of armed bank robbery. 

Large trials are often pushed back multiple times as attorneys wade through mountains of evidence and courts work through Covid backlogs, said Falmouth-based defense attorney Drew Segadelli. Scheduling witnesses and experts, especially for a case that could involve witnesses on the Island and in other states, also makes coordinating difficult, he said.

“It’s not unusual at all,” Mr. Segadelli said. “There’s a lot of dynamics that go on.” 

The attorneys for Mr. Clayton and Mr. Jones did not return a request for comment Monday after the trial was delayed. 

Two other men in the case have already pleaded guilty. In March, Omar Johnson agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and armed bank robbery, and Tevin Porter signed a plea agreement with prosecutors on the same charges over the summer.

Mr. Johnson has had his sentencing delayed several times, including his hearing scheduled for Feb. 27. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on April 25. Mr. Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. 

Police say that Mr. Porter, Mr. Jones and Mr. Johnson forced their way through the back door of the Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury on Nov. 17, 2022, wearing masks and armed with two guns. One of the men is accused of holding a gun to an employee’s head while making them open the bank’s vault. The men then made off with about $39,000 but not before allegedly binding bank employees’ hands and stealing one of their cars, according to police. 

The men then left the bank, drove to the state forest and abandoned the car, according to authorities. There they got into another vehicle. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jones allegedly buried the guns at a Tisbury farm along with burned masks worn during the robbery. 

Mr. Johnson, Mr. Clayton and Mr. Porter all would go on to leave the Island before later being arrested.