May 21,2003

Police search Orange for armed bank robber

By Brendan Scott    Times Herald-Record    bscott@th-record.com

Blooming Grove – State and local police were scouring Orange County in search of a lone gunman who swiped $1,923 yesterday from an Ellenville National Bank branch in Blooming Grove. The suspect parked in front of the state Route 208 bank before storming inside at 11:50 a.m., police said. Wearing a camouflage face mask and waving what looked like a black revolver, he demanded that a teller hand over the cash in her drawer, witnesses told police. The suspect stuffed the money into two yellow ShopRite bags and took off north toward  Washingtonville in a dark blue Dodge Aries,  Senior Investigator John Van Der Molen of the state police Monroe barracks said.  No employees or customers were injured in the robbery. By 12:30 p.m., Blooming Grove police and state troopers had arrived at the crime scene and two state helicopters were searching the area from above. Motorists traveling between Monroe and Washingtonville encountered a state police roadblock that lasted three hours. Meanwhile, branch employees holed up in the bank, occasionally telling customers to leave and come back tomorrow.  "No one was hurt and that's the most important thing," said Robert Lynch,  Ellenville National Bank chief financial officer. "The rest is a police matter."  In addition to the suspect and his car, investigators want the public to look out for any unusual use of $2 bills.  A stack of 20 $2 bills was among the money stolen. Anyone with information should call the state police Monroe barracks at 782-8311  or Blooming Grove police at 496-9161.

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