Robber Strikes 3Rd Bank Suspect In First Security Heist May Have Struck Twice Before

FOR THE RECORD, April 14, 1999, Idaho edition: Man is a suspect: A man who robbed an Inland Northwest Bank branch inside the Rosauers grocery store on Appleway is a suspect in a Post Falls bank robbery. An article in Tuesday’s paper stated otherwise.

A man suspected of robbing two area banks may have struck again Monday morning, this time holding up a downtown branch across the street from his last target.

Police said the robber handed a First Security Bank branch teller a note announcing the robbery and demanding money. He fled the 301 Sherman Ave. branch about 9:55 a.m. with an undisclosed amount of money.

The man did not show a weapon, and he took the note with him, police said. He was described as 5 foot 7 to 5 foot 9 inches tall, with brown hair and a medium build.

Investigators said the man’s description and method of robbing the bank are very similar to two recent heists in Coeur d’Alene.

A month ago to the day, a man also used a note to rob the Washington Trust Bank branch at Second Street and Lakeside Avenue.

A man with a similar description used the same scheme to rob the Inland Northwest Bank branch inside the Rosauers grocery store at 225 W. Appleway on Feb. 18.

Police detectives, who have teamed with FBI agents to investigate the robberies, said the man also is suspected of heists in Spokane.

Witnesses to Monday’s robbery told police the man may have left the bank in an older, dark brown two-door hatchback. The car was last seen northbound on Fourth Street from Lakeside Avenue.

The robber was wearing dark sunglasses and a light-colored baseball cap with a crown and the words “Crown Royal” on the front when he left the bank. He also had on a dark-plaid shirt and undershirt, light-colored slacks, athletic shoes and gloves.

Anyone with information about the bank robberies is asked to call the FBI at 664-5728 or the Coeur d’Alene Police Department at 769-2290.