| March 20,
2003 |
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| First
Citizen in Rutherford College Robbed |
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| A Rutherford College bank was robbed this
afternoon after a suspect entered the building with a gun and sprayed a teller
with pepper spray. |
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| Around 12:50 p.m., a woman entered First
Citizen's bank, located at 711 Malcolm Boulevard, and pointed a semi-automatic
handgun toward teller Misty Brown, according to Detective Andrea Whalen of the
Burke County Sheriff's Office. |
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| The suspect demanded money and was given an
undisclosed amount, authorities said. |
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| The woman then placed a white cloth or
handkerchief over her own face and sprayed Brown with pepper spray, then exited
the building, Whalen said. |
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| Witnesses saw the woman jump into the passenger
side of a vehicle, which was described as a red late 80's model Toyota Celica
with dark tinted windows. The vehicle jumped a curb and left the bank
toward Highway 70 at a high rate of speed, according to Whalen. |
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| The Sheriff's Office was contacted and deputies
arrived within a minute from a nearby Sheriff's satellite office. A search by
Burke deputies, along with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Valdese
Police Department and Drexel Police Department did not locate the vehicle. |
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| Misty Brown was decontaminated from the effects
of pepper spray at the bank and did not require medical attention, Whalen
said. |
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| The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived and
took custody of the bank surveillance tape, according to authorities. Photos of
the suspect will be released for media distribution as soon as they become
available. |
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| Whalen said the suspect is described as a white
female in her late twenties to early thirties, approximately 5'5" and weighing
around 170 pounds. She was reportedly wearing a blue coat with white stripes on
the sleeve, with the coat's hood covering her head along with a blue bandana.
She was also wearing blue jeans and carrying a white bag, Whalen
stated. |
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| A description of the suspect vehicle's driver
was not available, Whalen said. |
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| Anyone with information on these suspects or the
vehicle in question is urged to contact the Burke County Sheriff's Office
Criminal Investigations Division at (828) 438-5506, or by e-mail at
cid@burkesheriff.org , or by calling the Federal Bureau
of Investigation at (828) 322-8513. |
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