Trish Bennett, Editor
ASHVILLE – The Ashville Police Department is seeking information on a suspect accused of robbing the Savings Bank branch on state Route 752 on Monday.
The suspect is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s with close-cropped dark hair, according to Detective Jeff George, Ashville Police Department. He was wearing a black hoodie and white latex gloves at the time of the incident about 8:46 a.m.
George said the suspect entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash. He did not brandish a weapon or make any threats of a weapon, he said.
The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash, and the suspect fled on foot westbound out of the bank and then southbound.
Anyone with information on the robbery or the suspect is urged to contact Detective George at 740-983-3112, ext. 4, or the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office at 740-474-2176.
The Teays Valley school buildings were placed under additional security Monday during the search for the suspect, but Robin Halley, district superintendent, said the situation did not cause much change in procedure at the schools.
“Our buildings are always secure; we just added another layer this morning,” Halley said. “We limited students going outside until we got an all-clear that the helicopters had passed through and made sure all our buildings were aware of the incident.”
Halley said all inner doors into the buildings are locked as a matter of procedure, but on Monday the outer doors also were locked to limit access.
Ashville Police and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office are providing extra patrol for the schools throughout the day while the subject is still at large.
According to Jeff Farthing, president of The Savings Bank, the affected branch on Route 752 will be closed the remainer of the day on Monday but will resume normal business hours on Tuesday. Customers may conduct business at the downtown branch on Long Street or at one of the other Pickaway County branch locations.
“We’re just thankful no one was hurt,” Farthing said. “Our staff followed procedures as they should, law enforcement are doing an excellent job on this, and we’re hopeful this guy is caught.”
The Ashville Police Department is being assisted in the investigation by deputies from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
