Police are searching for a man they say robbed the Dryden Village branch of Oxford Bank on Jan. 8.
The suspect is a male believed to be in his late 40s to early 50s and is estimated to be 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium to stocky build, according to a press release issued jointly by the Dryden Township Police and Lapeer County Sheriff’s departments.
‘We believe it’s a white male,? said Dryden Police Chief Larry Pack. ‘He was pretty much covered up, but we’re suspecting (it) was a white male.?
The suspect was wearing a black ski mask with glasses underneath. He was clothed in a blue pea coat and dark-colored blue jeans.
Police report a lone male entered the bank, located at 5459 Main St., around noon. There were no customers present, only employees.
‘No weapons were displayed while the individual kept his hand in his coat pocket and verbally demanded that bank tellers (provide) money,? the release stated. The suspect was given an undisclosed amount of cash, then left through the bank’s front doors.
None of the employees were injured.
‘Everyone at our bank was very happy that no one was hurt and proud of how well our Dryden team handled what is a frightening situation,? wrote Oxford Bank President and CEO David P. Lamb in an e-mail to this reporter.
Witnesses reportedly observed the suspect run south across Main St. to a parking lot where he entered a tan or light-colored, four-door passenger car, possibly a 2005 or newer Chevrolet Impala or Buick, according to the release.
The suspect travelled through an alley to Mill St. then headed south. Police say the suspect was last seen heading south on Rochester Rd. from Dryden.
‘We suspect it was the same one that robbed the bank the day before,? Pack said.
The chief was referring to an armed robbery that occurred Jan. 7 at the Tri-County Bank in St. Clair County’s Brockway Township.
According to information released by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook posts, at about 10:15 a.m., the suspect ‘brandished a gun and demanded money.? Once he got an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect reportedly left the scene in what’s been described as a two-tone, dark-colored pickup truck with a crew cab, a blue tailgate and tonneau cover.
‘It’s two different vehicles, but we believe it’s the same person,? Pack said.
The suspect in the Tri-County Bank robbery was described as a white male in his late 50s or early 60s, who’s approximately 6 feet tall and about 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue ski mask, black pea coat, blue jeans and brown boots.
Like in Dryden, no one was injured in the Tri-County Bank holdup.
Anyone with information is asked to please call either the Dryden Township Police Department at (810) 796-2271 or the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office’s tip line at (810) 245-1374.
Dryden Police were assisted by the Almont Police, Lapeer County Sheriff, Michigan State Police Lapeer Regional Post and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Flint Field Office.
‘We are also highly appreciative of the quick response and professionalism of the Dryden Police Department, Michigan State Police and FBI,? Lamb wrote.
‘To the best of our knowledge, the Dryden branch has not been robbed in the past,? Lamb noted. ‘The most recent robbery of one of our branches was the Clarkston office in October 2013.?