| July 23,
2003 |
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| Burke
Bank Robber Identified, Arrested in Kansas |
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Burke County
detectives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation believe they have solved the
robbery of the First Citizens Bank
in Hildebran.
Investigators have issued a warrant on Christopher
Thomas Small (left), 25, of 580 Wiley Court in
Merrill Island, Florida, charging him with the July 1, 2003 robbery. |
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| On July 15th, the FBI informed the Burke County
Sheriff's Office that Small was a possible suspect in the First Citizens bank
robbery. Burke detectives began an investigation on Small and learned he had
been arrested in Saline County, Kansas after a botched bank robbery in the town
of Salina. |
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| In that case, Small allegedly robbed the Great
Plains Federal Credit Union on July 15th while an off-duty investigator was
inside the bank. |
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| The investigator reportedly pursued Small after
he ran from the bank and jumped into the passenger side of a Geo Tracker
bearing North Carolina license plates. Salina authorities said the vehicle
was driven by Amber L. Ottone, 25, who is Small's girlfriend. |
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| As the pair attempted to elude the off-duty
investigator, Ottone lost control of the Geo and was ejected from the
vehicle as it flipped over, detectives said. Small was taken into custody and
Ottone was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained
during the wreck. |
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| Salina officers reportedly recovered over $9,500
from Small's pants pockets, along with loose bills and drug paraphernalia
inside the vehicle. Both he and Ottone were later charged with the Salina
bank robbery, along with a host of other charges. |
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| According to Burke County detective Becky
Brendle, Small was wanted by the U.S. Marshal's Service in Charlotte, N.C. at
the time of his arrest for failure to comply with his parole after he was
released from federal prison. Brendle stated Small had served time for a 1998
bank robbery in Florida. |
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| Brendle said Small robbed the Kansas bank in a
similar manner as the First Citizens Bank in Hildebran. After Small's
arrest, his photo was exchanged by the two law enforcement agencies in Kansas
and North Carolina. Brendle said both agencies have identified him as the
robber. |
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| :"We have positively identified him not only
from the photos, but from other physical evidence we have obtained which links
him to the robberies," Brendle said. |
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| Brendle said that in both the Burke County
robbery and the Kansas robbery, the suspect presented tellers with a note
saying that he had a gun and wanted money, even though he never produced the
gun. |
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| Small is also the prime suspect in another bank
robbery which occurred in another state, according to Brendle. She would not
reveal where or when that robbery took place, since the incident is still under
investigation. |
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| Burke investigators continue to explore the
possibility that Ottone was involved in the Hildebran First Citizens robbery,
although she has not been charged and continues to recover from moderate
injuries sustained in the wreck. |
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| Small is being held in Kansas and could possibly
be extradited back to North Carolina after court proceedings there are
completed, Brendle said. |
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| ************************************************************** |
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