METHUEN — A bank robber pulled off a brazen, midday holdup of Methuen Co-operative Bank at 243 Broadway yesterday.
Despite immediate containment of the area by police, a search by a K-9 patrol, a good description and digital image, the man got away.
Lt. Michael Wnek, commander of the Methuen criminal investigation division, said a 911 call came in to police from the bank at 11:48 a.m. reporting that a man had just showed a handwritten note to a teller saying he had a gun and wanted money.
He was given an undetermined amount of cash, fled out the back of the building, and ran up Park Street, according to video camera footage taken at the bank.
Police quickly surrounded the area and searched the neighborhood on foot and with a K-9 patrol, Wnek said.
Officer Christine Nicolosi led the department's German shepherd, Reiko, around the neighborhood, but he lost the scent near First Baptist Church. Nicolosi was accompanied by Officer Walter Fleming, who was carrying a patrol rifle.
The man was described as being in his 20s, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a husky build and weighing about 200 pounds. Wnek said the man had a reddish-blond, scruffy beard and mustache and was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers and a white, baseball-style cap with no logo.
Police said they believe the man might have fled in a car left in the Pleasant Street area or driven by an accomplice.
Wnek said detectives have reached out to other police departments to see if there is a link to other bank robberies in the area.
Assisting in the investigation are the FBI and the state police crime scene services division.
Wnek said anyone with information about the robber should call Methuen police at 978-983-8677.
The bank was closed yesterday afternoon while police combed the building gathering evidence.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
