Published: 10/05/2006
Do you know this man? Area police want him By Dan Atkinson Staff Writer
Police say they are closing in on a serial bank robber who hit his sixth bank - at least - Tuesday night in Newburyport.
"We're putting our best foot forward," Rowley officer Joseph Gamache said. "We have been making progress."
A photograph of the man, taken by a security camera in Route 1 Liquors in Rowley, should help identify him, Newburyport Inspector Brian Brunault said.
"Absolutely, we'll get closer with this photo," Brunault said.
"I'm sure someone out there knows him," Haverhill Detective Carl Rogers added.
Police have relied on various security photos of the robber, but found this latest one while looking for witnesses after the Rowley robbery. A witness reportedly saw him go into the liquor store. The manager let police examine his security camera footage, Gamache said.
"The good thing is, there's cameras everywhere," Gamache said.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 6 feet tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds. The man reportedly has a scruffy beard and a mole on his lower left cheek and wears a hat or visor when in the bank.
The man is suspected in the robberies of two Haverhill Sovereign Banks, one of them twice, a Plaistow bank, the Rowley TD Banknorth and the Provident Bank on Storey Avenue in Newburyport, which was robbed Tuesday night. The man escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
"He's been very busy," Gamache said.
Seabrook police are also investigating if the suspect was involved in Sunday's robbery of a Provident Bank branch. That man was described as only 5feet, 6 inches, but was reportedly wearing a visor. The man also used the same method that has been used to rob the other banks - passing the teller a note demanding money, but not showing a weapon.
Newburyport, Haverhill, Rowley and Seabrook police, along with state police, have been working together to capture the bank bandit, Gamache said. They have been sharing information and will have a round-table discussion tomorrow morning to go over their investigation. Gamache and other officers said they did not want to say too much about their methods.
"We have a strategy, but we're not going to reveal it right now," Brunault said.
Police are also looking for one or two other people who helped the robber get away. The man reportedly leaves the banks on foot, but a witness saw the man get into a green Ford Taurus, according to Haverhill police.
"In these robberies, you're generally not acting alone," Gamache said. "You need someone standing by the exit to make a quick getaway."
The suspect's nonchalant method of robbery helps him escape as well, Gamache said. He doesn't make a scene at the bank and only deals with individual tellers, so other customers are unaware of the robbery, he said.
"It's very low key, very low profile," Gamache said. "There's no involvement outside of the teller, no weapon mentioned or indicated and we want to keep it that way."
Even though he does not show any weapon, bank employees should just let the man take the money and not try to interfere, Rogers said. The money is not worth risking people's lives in a confrontation with officers, which could happen if police are called while the man is in the bank.
"You get someone in the bank and then we converge on the scene - nothing good can come of that," Rogers said.
Officers said they have repeatedly alerted area financial institutions about the man, but Rogers said banks need to make their offices less appealing to potential robbers.
"They've got to come up with signs saying, 'Don't wear hats or sunglasses in the bank,'" Rogers said.
Provident Bank spokeswoman Julie Ganong said all their banks have notices posted on their doors requesting customers remove their sunglasses and hoods.
"That was obviously missed," Ganong said. Anyone with information on the robber's identity should call Newburyport, Haverhill or Rowley police.
Bank hit list:
6/26 - Haverhill Sovereign Bank (340 Main St.)
7/10 - Plaistow TD Banknorth (Route 125)
9/11 - Haverhill Sovereign Bank (750 Main St.)
9/14 - Haverhill Sovereign Bank (750 Main St.)
9/28 - Rowley TD Banknorth (174 Route 1)
10/1 - Seabrook Provident Bank (1 Provident Way)
10/3 - Newburyport Provident Bank (60 Storey Ave.)
Posted by: BostonSoxWorldChamps
Newburyport PD caught him and another person today as they tried to rob another bank in Newburyport.
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