Orangeburg, Summerville authorities seek robbery suspect(s)
By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff WriterWednesday, October 15, 2008Investigators are looking for a man who robbed a St. Matthews Road bank early Tuesday afternoon - and he may be the same man wanted for an earlier robbery in Summerville.
Police say a man entered South Carolina Bank and Trust around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and handed a teller a note demanding money.
“Reports are at this time that there may have been a wheel man and one individual who entered the bank,” Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said. “The individual who entered the bank then presented a note demanding the money.”
Williams said no one was hurt in the robbery. The robber never presented any type of weapon, he said.
After receiving a quantity of cash, the man then fled the bank. Police have not determined how much money was taken in the robbery.
Williams said the robber or robbers are believed to have fled toward I-26 less than a mile away.
A surveillance camera at the St. Matthews Road bank captured pictures of a man wearing dark clothing, dark ball cap and glasses.
Investigators say those photos are being compared to pictures taken by surveillance cameras at a Summerville bank earlier in the day.
At about 11:30 a.m. a 40- to 50-year-old black male entered the First Citizens bank, where he handed the teller a note demanding cash, according to a release issued by the Summerville PD.
After obtaining some cash, the suspect fled in a light-colored, older-model 4-door vehicle. The vehicle appeared to be a late ‘80s or early ‘90s.
The Summerville suspect is similar in appearance to the robber in the Orangeburg case. Police say the Summerville suspect was wearing black pants and shirt, white T-shirt, eyeglasses and a dark-colored striped hat.
“We just thank God that no one was hurt, other than emotional trauma,” Williams said. “We’re grateful for that.”
Anyone with information regarding the cases is asked to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office at 803-534-3550 or the Summerville Police Department at 843-851-4100.
T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-533-5516.
