Police still looking for Poland suspect

Police released a surveillance video photo of suspect

By JASON MOON

Special to the BannerGraphic

POLAND -- A search for a man authorities believe robbed a Poland bank is ongoing.

On Monday, the Clay County Sheriff's Department received video images of a man who was in the First Financial Bank branch, located on Main Street in Poland on Friday.

Officials believe this man, described as a 6-foot white male in his mid-to-late 30s, robbed the county bank.

Clay Sheriff Mike Heaton said the video images from the Poland bank were strikingly similar to images the department received from a bank robbery that took place in Darlington Oct.31.

"With the video evidence we have, it appears he was involved in both of them," Heaton said. "We're not saying 100 percent, but from the looks of it, I'd say 95 percent it's the same guy."

Heaton said the man in both video images was wearing similar clothes, including sunglasses, baggy cargo pants, a baseball cap and a Carhart-style jacket.

Heaton said an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation office out of Terre Haute determined the robberies were also similar, giving officials reason to believe the two robberies were orchestrated by the same person.

"They were both similar, the same method of operation," Heaton said. "But there are still some things we're looking at."

Heaton said Det. Jeff Maynard was back in Poland Monday interviewing bank tellers and people in the surrounding area. He added the FBI is looking at the case more closely.

Heaton said the bank reopened Saturday and was open again Monday. According to officials, the suspect entered the bank shortly before 3 p.m. Friday and demanded cash from the tellers. No weapon was displayed but it was implied there was one.

Two tellers were in the bank at the time of the robbery.

Through witness information, authorities have determined the suspect drove away from the bank in a dark green vehicle.

"With these individuals, you don't know what to expect," Heaton said.

Officials are asking anyone with information about the robbery to call the Sheriff's Department at (812) 446-2535 or the Indiana State Police at (812) 299-1151.