Armed Robbers On The Loose
Northern Hancock Bank is held upBy EMILY SCOTT
Article Photos
CHESTER - Two suspects are on the loose following an armed robbery of Northern Hancock Bank and Trust on Monday morning.
Hancock County Sheriff Mike White said his office received a call about the robbery at 11:26 a.m. Chester Police Chief Ken Thorn, Chester officers and sheriff's deputies responded within minutes. FBI agents from Wheeling were called in as well.
White said two males entered the bank, immediately presented handguns and said they wanted to make a withdrawal. White said despite the comment about making a withdrawal, the robbers' tone was more demanding than joking.
After tellers gave the robbers an undisclosed amount of money, which was placed in bags the robbers brought, the two suspects ordered everyone in the bank to get on the floor. They then left in a vehicle. White said bank employees saw the two men get out of a red Geo Tracker or similar vehicle with a white soft top; employees were not sure in which direction the pair drove after leaving the bank. White said the whole robbery took place in a couple of minutes.
One of the robbers was described as an Asian male, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, wearing a denim shirt, jeans, sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. The other was described as a white male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, wearing a dark sweat shirt or hooded sweat shirt, baggy jeans and a toboggan. Both were described as being in their early 20s.
White said there were no customers in the bank at the time of the robbery. One customer had left the bank just prior to the robbery, and White said investigators are checking whether that customer might have seen anything.
Surveillance video was taken from the bank that shows both robbers; security footage from Chaney's, located next to the bank on Carolina Avenue, was also viewed by deputies.
Evidence was also recovered from the scene, though White declined to comment on the nature of that evidence due to the ongoing investigation.
Deputy Pat Hoder was on the scene with his K-9 to check for a trail, but White said since the robbers left in a vehicle "there just was no trail."
White said there was no reason to believe the robbery was connected with a robbery of the New Cumberland branch of Hancock County Savings Bank on Aug. 12.
"These individuals aren't close to our other robbery" in terms of physicality, White said, adding that he thinks the number of robberies in the county is a result of "just the economic times."
White said no injuries were reported in the robbery, adding, "That's our biggest concern, that no employees or citizens were hurt."
White said local and state agencies throughout the area, including West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania State Police and the East Liverpool Police Department, were contacted and put on alert for the men and the vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hancock County Sheriff's Department at 304-387-4100, the Chester Police Department at 304-387-2820 or the Wheeling office of the FBI.
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acousticportal
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10-21-08 1:56 PM
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May these animals get what they deserve...a long stint in the pokey, after a mob-style beating.
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