Tontitown bank robber locks clerks inside safe
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
An armed man locked two clerks inside the vault at the First Federal Bank in Tontitown and left with about $ 18, 000 at 7: 15 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
The unidentified suspect was wearing bluejeans, a T-shirt, a long black jacket and a scarf covering his face, said Kelly Cantrell, media relations coordinator for the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The suspect's race has not been determined, she said.
"His eyes are the only thing they saw," said Lynn Morgan, a sergeant for the Washington County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Division.
Morgan said authorities believe that the same man suspected of robbing five other banks in the Springdale and Fayetteville area is probably responsible for Tuesday's bank robbery.
The man brandished a black handgun as two female employees were opening the branch at 201 E. Henri De Tonti Blvd. Once he obtained the money, he forced the clerks into the safe, Cantrell said.
Bank employees noticed a newer model, silver passenger car in a nearby parking lot when they arrived and the car was gone when police arrived. Cantrell said police are not sure if this is the suspect's vehicle. The suspect grabbed an outside door before it closed and entered the bank as one of the tellers was entering to open the branch's drive-in at 7: 30 a. m., Morgan said.
Bank employees who arrived to open the branch at 8 a.m. realized that the clerks were in the safe and notified authorities that the bank had been robbed, said Ross Mallioux, president of the Harrison-based First Federal Bank.
Employees followed procedure, did what they were told, and avoided getting hurt, he said. The bank robber got away with about $ 18, 000, he said.
"We are very, very glad our team members were not hurt," Mallioux said. "We can make more money, but we can't get a life back."
The bank branch in Tontitown closed about noon Tuesday and will reopen today at its regular time, he said.
Mallioux said that the FBI, Arkansas State Police, the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Springdale Police Department are cooperating in the investigation.
Last robber caught This same bank branch was robbed Dec. 5, 2006, by Roy Stutts, who came into the bank and claimed that he had a bomb. He made employees lie on the floor and took about $ 9, 700. No one was injured. Stutts fled the scene in a red and white truck. He was arrested five hours later when an officer spotted the getaway vehicle in Stutts'driveway, about 1, 000 yards from the bank. All the money was recovered at his home.
Stutts pleaded guilty last year to federal bank robbery charges and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, three years of probation upon release, and a fine of $ 3, 500, officials said.
He faced a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $ 250, 000, or both. His attorney asked the judge for leniency because Stutts suffered from a mental disorder, financial difficulties, and he had no prior criminal history.
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